David Cifaldi, a wound care nurse who previously worked in emergency rooms, was impaled by his own trekking pole while climbing Montana's Granite Peak on 20 July. The freak accident happened at around 11,800 feet when he stepped on a loose rock and fell onto the pole, leaving him seriously injured in a remote, high-altitude location far from immediate medical help.

Despite his injuries, Cifaldi's medical background is thought to have helped him assess and manage the wound, and he was able to trek roughly 10 miles to reach safety, accompanied by two friends who had been hiking with him. A GoFundMe page has since been set up to support his recovery.