Panthers star Christian McCaffrey saves injured man's life - 'truly remarkable'
Christian McCaffrey showed off his versatility in his rookie season with the Carolina Panthers. The eighth overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft rushed for 435 yards, caught a team-leading 80 passes for 651 yards, and returned punts and kickoffs for another 220 yards.
Now the jack-of-all-trades running back has added a new skill to his resume:
Helping to save lives.
On Saturday, McCaffrey was hiking on the Castle Rock trail in Colorado with his brothers Dylan and Max and friends Brooke Pettet and Michael Mann.
As they made their way to the top, they encountered two other hikers, 13-year-old Eli Smoker and his 72-year-old grandfather, Dan Smoker Sr.
Just then, McCaffrey and his group were horrified to see the elder Smoker fall about 20 feet onto a rock below.
“It felt like he was in the air for 10 seconds,” McCaffrey told Panthers.com. “I had never seen anything quite like that in my life as far as the trauma and the sound. We were in shock.”
The shock didn’t last long, however, as they sprung into action to help.
McCaffrey immediately called 9-1-1 to summon paramedics, while Mann and another onlooker climbed down to provide immediate aid to Smoker. When his breathing stopped, Mann performed chest compressions.
McCaffrey and his companions also comforted young Eli, and the group prayed as Smoker fought for his life.
“Everybody stepped up,” the Panthers star said. “I called 9-1-1, and it felt like an eternity. It felt like we were up there waiting for four hours. But I looked back at my call log and it took 11 minutes before the paramedics came. Amazing what those guys did.”
Smoker was rushed to Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado. He broke his neck, femur, pelvis and nine ribs in the fall, and also suffered internal bleeding in his abdomen and on his brain, according to Coloradoan.com.
His son, Dan Smoker Jr., credits McCaffrey and the others on the scene with saving his life.
Michael Mann, @run__cmc and @notoriousmax25 are great football players, but even better humans. Yesterday, they helped save my dads life after he fell off of Castle Rock. They comforted my son when he was alone. Then showed up at the hospital to check in. @AdamSchefter @espn pic.twitter.com/MVAdbr2gYV
— Dan Smoker (@dsmokexu) March 4, 2018
Because of Michael Mann, @notoriousmax25, @run__cmc and a few other amazing folks, my 13yo son isn't telling a story about how he went on a hike with his grandpa and his grandpa died. He's telling a story of strength, hope, and human goodness. @AdamSchefter @espn
— Dan Smoker (@dsmokexu) March 6, 2018
“Truly a blessing that we turned the corner at that exact moment and we could be there for him,” McCaffrey said. “I don’t know what would have happened. … We were lucky to be at the right place at the right time.”
Dan Smoker Jr. tweeted Wednesday that his father’s breathing tube had been removed and Smoker Sr. was able to speak.
Truly a remarkable story. My best friend @dsmokexu and the story of his dad and his son… and the heroes that saved his life on Saturday https://t.co/RCjNWnbXQH
— Adam Steel (@AdamSteelNH) March 7, 2018
“It’s a miracle he’s alive and a lot of that is due to the right placement of these people at the right time,” Smoker told Coloradoan.com. “These people saved my father’s life.”
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