Man was severely injured while out on a hike—his dog’s one action saved his life
Dogs are loyal to a fault and do not leave their humans' side through thick and thin. One dog, Buddy, became the reason why his owner, Jake Schmitt, survived after a serious accident in the woods. The man had gone out to scout a mule deer for the hunting season in Utah’s Uinta Mountains in his Polaris Ranger. Unfortunately, the vehicle rolled off a cliff from the passenger side while the man was trying to climb up. Schmitt was quite injured, but one action from Buddy saved him, per PEOPLE.
Schmitt was climbing up a hill in his vehicle and as he stopped to back it up, he ended up hitting an unsteady piece of land that led to the accident. Buddy was in the backseat of the car at that time. The man was thrown out of the windshield of his car as it rolled out of his sight down the hill. He had no idea what had happened to his dog in the meantime. Schmitt's leg was fractured and his ankle looked broken; his ribs were broken, too. The man had to crawl through the woods to get to help in his state. However, he was surprised to see Buddy pop out of nowhere in that moment.
"All of a sudden, my dog pops up outta nowhere without a scratch on him. I have no idea how he got out and it's absolutely amazing. It was just a normal day for him — wagging his tail next to me. He didn’t realize what had happened at that point," Schmitt recounted. It was quite dark in the forest, but Buddy's collar had a small LED light that helped the man navigate the forest even while he had to crawl. His pain was getting more and more unbearable as he moved forward. "At the beginning, I was kind of just waiting to collapse and die and I figured I would just keep going until my body gave up," the hunting guide shared. "People don’t realize how the whole thing was very mental and having that dog there absolutely changes everything."
"It’s like having your friend with you. It’s incredible. Without that, I would’ve broken down mentally and then, as a result, physically. I don’t think I would’ve made it out," the 34-year-old continued. Buddy helped him get back to his truck and the man managed to drive to the nearest town in 20 minutes. He met a waitress who was starting her early morning shift at a diner. "I tried to be overly nice to her to not shock and scare her, but it must have come off weird. She asked me, 'Well, can I see the leg?' I opened my door and it was all swollen with this splint and there’s blood and she’s like, 'Okay, I believe you.'" The waitress called 911 and helped the man.
The man was treated for his broken ribs and fractures at the Park City Hospital. Schmitt reasoned that he could crawl for 11 hours through the rough terrain because he felt obligated to his dog. "I felt very obligated that I had to get [Buddy] out. There was a huge push to see my family and loved ones again, too." He added, "I owe him a lot more treats. We’re a lot closer for sure. We were close before and I spent so much time with him, so I think that’s why he also understood what was going on so fast with me. Now he’s seen me in every way, shape and form, so he gets me in every bit of it." The man was recovering well and would start physical therapy soon. A GoFundMe with a goal of $35000 was started for Schmitt and managed to raise $31,026.
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