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Man impaled on stump in East Lansing rescued thanks to runners

Posted at 8:58 AM, Jul 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-17 08:58:33-04

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A man who was impaled on a stump after falling from a tree in mid-Michigan was rescued after runners heard his calls for help about 14 hours after he fell.

Cindy Eiseler tells the Lansing State Journal she and three other women heard someone calling “I need help!” from a dense thicket Saturday morning along the Lansing River Trail. The trail runs next to the Red Cedar Natural Area on the edge of Michigan State University’s East Lansing campus.

Eiseler’s group flagged down runner Chris Smith, who said the impaled man was face down with a “chunk of tree” through his shoulder.

Police say the 37-year-old man fell about 6 p.m. Friday. He was taken to a hospital and police declined to say why he was in the tree.