California hunter survives after breaking leg, crawling in wild for nearly four days

A Riverside man crawled for nearly four days with a broken leg to survive after injuring himself during a hunting trip in Idaho.

John Sain, 50, is recovering at a hospital in Boise, Idaho, but was near death several days ago when rescuers found him.

Sain, an avid hunter who’s a general contractor by trade, set off for an excursion last Wednesday in the Salmon-Challis National Forest in search of elk, KTVB-TV reported.

But his hunting trip went amiss following a misstep on a log. Sain broke two bones in his right leg, he told the news station.

“Contemplated on just ending it right there honestly,” Sain told KTVB. “There was no way I was going to make it.”

He made the decision that he would try to crawl to safety.

After three days of crawling with a broken limb and in cold temperatures, Sain reached a critical juncture.

With little food and water, Sain feared the worst: He would die alone without ever telling his family how much he loved them.

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He penned letters to his wife and two children as he contemplated taking his own life, KABC-TV reported.

But after consideration, Sain told the news station he thought, “That’s it. There is no way I am doing this. I will get out of here.”

Battered and bruised, Sain decided he would continue to move forward.

As Sain crawled onto a path, he came across two motorcyclists who had been lost, the news station reported.

Soon after, a rescue crew went looking for them, and he was airlifted to an area hospital.

Sain is expected to return to California next week, the news station reported.

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