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WILLIAM SHATNER:
Deadly falls
from incredible heights.

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00:00:04,713 --> 00:00:08,933
Lightning strikes packed
with devastating power.

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00:00:09,593 --> 00:00:13,303
And lethal brain injuries
that should mean

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00:00:13,388 --> 00:00:14,718
certain death.

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(siren wailing)

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How are some people able
to beat the odds

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and survive the impossible?

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Is it blind luck?

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A combination of instinct
and quick thinking?

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Or could it even be...

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divine intervention?

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Well, that is what
we’ll try and find out.

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♪ ♪

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29-year-old engineer Tsutomu
Yamaguchi is walking to work...

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...when a blinding flash,

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brighter than the Sun,
fills the sky.

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He doesn’t know it yet,

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but the world’s
first atomic bomb

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has just exploded over the city

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with the force
of 15,000 tons of TNT,

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creating a massive shockwave...

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...that disintegrates everything
in its path.

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MICHIO KAKU:
Instinctively, Tsutomu Yamaguchi
raced into a ditch

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as an atomic fireball

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began to pulverize
almost everything in sight...

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...like a gigantic hand
from outer space coming down,

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crushing everything,

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blowing all structures away.

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SHATNER:
The bomb that exploded
over Hiroshima

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was the most destructive force
ever unleashed in history.

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80,000 people died instantly,

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as temperatures approaching
the surface of the Sun

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vaporized their bodies

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and bathed the city
in lethal radiation.

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But, astoundingly,

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despite being less
than two miles from ground zero,

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Mr. Yamaguchi somehow survived.

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KAKU:
There is ash
falling from the sky.

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And he realizes that his
eardrums have been shattered

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and that he was burned

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by the enormous amount of heat
that came out of the blast.

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He got a thousand times

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the dose of radiation
that we experience in one year

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simply by walking
on the surface of the Earth.

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Anyone who was
in that type of a radius

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from, uh, an atomic bomb
would experience

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anywhere from 95%
to 98% chance of dying

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due to all the different
dimensions of injury

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that are possible.

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SHATNER:
Tsutomu Yamaguchi’s survival

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of the nuclear devastation
at Hiroshima

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is almost impossible to fathom.

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But what’s
even more unbelievable is that,

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just three days later,

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on August 9, 1945,

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he did it again.

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Yamaguchi is from Nagasaki.

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After being atomic bombed,

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he wants to go back
to meet his family.

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So he gets on a train,

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travels 186 miles
from Hiroshima to Nagasaki.

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And then, for a second time,

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he sees this flash of light

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coming from
an atomic detonation--

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the Nagasaki bomb.

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And there’s a repeat
of the tragedy.

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SHATNER:
More than 75,000 people
died in the Nagasaki bombing.

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Yet, once again,

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Tsutomu Yamaguchi walked away

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from a deadly nuclear blast
with only minor injuries.

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Even more incredibly,

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despite being exposed
to a lethal dose of radiation

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for the second time
in three days,

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he lived
an otherwise healthy life

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before finally dying
at the age of 93.

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Those two quick doses
of radiation,

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within three days of each other,

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um, is-is absolutely terrible.

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Uh, you would think
it would have...

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destroyed his-his body,
his internal organs.

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But, somehow,
this man had a system

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that was able to withstand it.

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And so it shows
that there’s a lot more going on

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with our bodies,
and they’re capable

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of a lot more
than we may realize.

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It just takes these
extraordinary circumstances

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to show us that.

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From a medical perspective,

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it defies all of the science
that we know.

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There has to be another facet,

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like his will to live.

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And, who knows,
maybe that element of will

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that can’t be quantified
by science

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had something to do with it.

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SHATNER:
Tsutomu Yamaguchi’s survival
would appear to defy all logic,

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which is perhaps why some people
attribute it to fate.

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RAMANI DURVASULA:
When we’re thinking
about survival,

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fate and destiny
are so interesting,

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because they’re beliefs
that have been held

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by societies as long as we’ve
had, sort of, recorded history.

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We can look
at the ancient Greeks,

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where a lot of the philosophies
were really about

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the gods on Mount Olympus
sort of rolling the dice

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and determining the fates
for the lowly humans underneath.

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We could look at Hinduism,

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where the concept of karma
has often been sort of conflated

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with a model of fate.

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And I think that makes sense,

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given how people who survive
disasters of any kind

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and really, by all odds,
should have died,

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it’s really a miracle

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watching them walk out
of these situations.

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One of the systems of meaning

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that those people will find
themselves in is to say,

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"There was a plan for me."

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SHATNER:
Is it really possible
that Tsutomu Yamaguchi

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was destined
to withstand the bombings

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at Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

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Perhaps the answer can be found
by examining another survivor

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who overcame impossible odds
not just twice

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but an astonishing four times.

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Deep within the bowels
of the luxury liner RMS Titanic,

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Arthur John Priest
is shoveling coal

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into the vessel’s
massive boilers...

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...when it strikes
a 400-foot iceberg.

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The hull rips open,

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and Priest is plunged
into darkness

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as the boiler room
instantly floods

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with the icy waters
of the North Atlantic.

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These areas
where Priest was working

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and the other firemen
are working,

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they’re below the waterline.

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They’re the most vulnerable.

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(men shouting)

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The water’s gonna come in
at a very fast rate of flooding.

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The chances of survival
are very slim.

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COYNE:
Somehow, with the ship damaged,

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breaking apart...

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...he still managed to get
from below deck and escape.

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And, guys in his role,

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a lot of ’em didn’t get
to make it onto the life rafts.

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So, he gets in the water

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and survives
28-degree water temperatures,

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these ungodly, uh, below
freezing water temperatures.

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BARNETTE:
Available information indicates

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that Arthur John Priest
swam up to 30 minutes

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before safely boarding
a lifeboat.

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So, seems like a pretty
remarkable feat to survive,

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given the tragic loss of life
involved with the Titanic.

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SHATNER:
Surviving the Titanic
is incredible enough.

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But what’s truly remarkable
about Arthur John Priest

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is the fact that,
over the next five years,

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he endured three more
catastrophic shipwrecks.

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Priest survived four sinkings
between 1912 and 1917.

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He not only survived
the Titanic,

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but then he was also involved
in the sinking of the Alcantara,

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1916.

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He next moved on
to the Britannic,

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which also sank
in the later part of the year.

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His last ship that he served
upon was another hospital ship,

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the Donegal...

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...which was torpedoed
by a German U-boat

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in the English Channel in 1917.

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For Mr. Priest to survive
all four of these shipwrecks,

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it seems like something
was looking out for him.

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Because it definitely defies
the odds.

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Luck, serendipity,
whatever it is,

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I think our bodies and minds
can take us very, very far,

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but, at a certain point,
you just got to...

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you really got to hope
for the best.

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Are some people destined
to cheat death?

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Certain stories
definitely make you wonder

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whether it’s possible.

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However, there are those
who believe

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that some stories of survival
are not due to fate

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but rather,
the remarkable healing power

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of the human body.

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SHATNER:
A 25-year-old foreman
named Phineas Gage

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is overseeing construction
on a railroad line

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from Rutland to Burlington.

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Suddenly, an explosive charge

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set to blast away rock
detonates without warning.

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In the violent eruption,
Phineas Gage is struck

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by a three-and-a-half-foot
iron rod.

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The 13-pound projectile spears
Gage straight through his head,

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entering below his jaw
and exiting

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out the top of his skull.

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COYNE:
A nice big chunk of metal

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00:11:02,787 --> 00:11:06,367
took part of the brain with it
and blew out part of his skull.

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His coworkers come up
and they just had

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to put him on a horse,
bounce him down the road

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and take him not to a hospital
but to a hotel,

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’cause that’s where
the nearest doctor was.

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SHATNER:
But when the doctor

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00:11:21,723 --> 00:11:23,603
begins his examination,

196
00:11:23,725 --> 00:11:26,945
he is astonished to find
that Phineas Gage

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00:11:27,061 --> 00:11:30,401
is still alive.

198
00:11:30,523 --> 00:11:34,153
In some ways, Phineas Gage is
a strange story of resilience.

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00:11:34,235 --> 00:11:38,155
Remarkably, not only did he
survive in the minutes and hours

200
00:11:38,239 --> 00:11:40,279
right after the tamping rod
went through his head,

201
00:11:40,408 --> 00:11:42,618
he was just sort of talking
like he was normal.

202
00:11:42,744 --> 00:11:44,954
COYNE:
999 out of a thousand

203
00:11:45,079 --> 00:11:47,249
other brains
would have just shut down.

204
00:11:47,373 --> 00:11:49,133
But even though
his brain and his skull

205
00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:50,630
was severely damaged,

206
00:11:50,752 --> 00:11:53,172
he never loses consciousness
the whole time.

207
00:11:53,254 --> 00:11:55,804
And he manages to live,

208
00:11:55,924 --> 00:12:00,224
and live a fairly normal
rest of his life.

209
00:12:00,303 --> 00:12:05,023
That’s why the curious case
of Phineas Gage is so unique

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00:12:05,099 --> 00:12:08,189
it’s still talked about
to this day.

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00:12:09,437 --> 00:12:11,187
SHATNER:
By all accounts,

212
00:12:11,272 --> 00:12:14,572
having an iron rod blasted
through one’s head

213
00:12:14,651 --> 00:12:16,821
should result in certain death.

214
00:12:16,945 --> 00:12:22,125
So how was it possible that
Phineas Gage not only lived

215
00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,660
but remained conscious
through the ordeal?

216
00:12:28,289 --> 00:12:30,749
Well, according
to medical experts,

217
00:12:30,833 --> 00:12:32,503
it may have had something to do

218
00:12:32,627 --> 00:12:35,127
with the brain’s
remarkable ability

219
00:12:35,255 --> 00:12:38,635
to rewire itself.

220
00:12:38,758 --> 00:12:42,598
This case was
what started the fascination

221
00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:45,809
with understanding the different
parts of the brain.

222
00:12:45,932 --> 00:12:49,022
It’s possible that there was
some matter

223
00:12:49,143 --> 00:12:51,353
that shot out from the brain.

224
00:12:51,479 --> 00:12:53,309
The interesting part is,

225
00:12:53,439 --> 00:12:55,109
none of the stuff
that was extruded

226
00:12:55,191 --> 00:12:57,361
was critical enough
to his function

227
00:12:57,485 --> 00:12:58,985
to stop him from surviving.

228
00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,280
DURVASULA:
When Phineas Gage
endured this accident,

229
00:13:04,367 --> 00:13:08,657
it showed us that the brain
is very neuroplastic.

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00:13:08,746 --> 00:13:11,866
And by that, I mean
the brain does grow back.

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00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:16,050
So when there’s injury,
that neuroplasticity

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00:13:16,170 --> 00:13:18,050
means that the brain
will attempt,

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00:13:18,172 --> 00:13:22,262
to the best of its ability, to
engage in some form of "repair."

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00:13:23,344 --> 00:13:26,014
SHATNER:
Is it possible
that Phineas Gage’s brain

235
00:13:26,139 --> 00:13:29,679
was somehow able to rewire
itself and keep him alive

236
00:13:29,809 --> 00:13:33,399
after an iron rod
tore through his skull?

237
00:13:33,521 --> 00:13:35,361
Perhaps.

238
00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,070
But some medical experts believe
that he was only able to survive

239
00:13:38,192 --> 00:13:43,202
because there was another
factor at work: sheer luck.

240
00:13:43,323 --> 00:13:46,413
And as proof, they point
to the case of a woman

241
00:13:46,534 --> 00:13:51,794
who also suffered
a nearly fatal brain injury.

242
00:13:59,130 --> 00:14:02,760
After a long day’s work,
research chemist Andrea Scott

243
00:14:02,884 --> 00:14:05,264
heads to her car to drive home.

244
00:14:05,386 --> 00:14:07,676
But when she approaches
the vehicle...

245
00:14:08,806 --> 00:14:11,386
...three men emerge
from the darkness to rob her.

246
00:14:11,476 --> 00:14:14,436
As Andrea
struggles for her life,

247
00:14:14,562 --> 00:14:16,812
two gunshots
ring out in the night.

248
00:14:16,898 --> 00:14:18,978
(gunshots)

249
00:14:20,902 --> 00:14:22,282
SCOTT:
I remember

250
00:14:22,403 --> 00:14:24,453
being on the ground

251
00:14:24,572 --> 00:14:26,952
and just getting up
off the ground...

252
00:14:28,910 --> 00:14:31,700
...trying to leave that place.

253
00:14:33,373 --> 00:14:35,043
I was shaking,

254
00:14:35,124 --> 00:14:37,334
I was extremely cold,

255
00:14:37,418 --> 00:14:40,128
I think my whole body
was in a shock.

256
00:14:40,254 --> 00:14:41,804
I had no idea that I was shot.

257
00:14:41,923 --> 00:14:45,303
I had no idea
what bad shape I was in.

258
00:14:45,426 --> 00:14:47,086
(siren wailing)

259
00:14:47,220 --> 00:14:49,810
SHATNER:
Paramedics rush Andrea
to the hospital.

260
00:14:49,931 --> 00:14:52,271
Incredibly, she’s conscious

261
00:14:52,350 --> 00:14:54,980
and aware of her surroundings
for the entire ride.

262
00:14:55,103 --> 00:14:57,863
It’s only after
she arrives at the ER

263
00:14:57,939 --> 00:15:00,819
that Andrea learns
the extent of her injuries.

264
00:15:00,942 --> 00:15:04,282
SCOTT:
When I was in the ER,

265
00:15:04,362 --> 00:15:08,492
doctors told me I was shot twice
to the back of my head.

266
00:15:08,616 --> 00:15:12,236
I remember lots of doctors
and lots of nurses

267
00:15:12,328 --> 00:15:16,458
working really hard
to get me stable.

268
00:15:20,294 --> 00:15:23,804
People did not believe
I would survive.

269
00:15:23,923 --> 00:15:26,973
SHATNER:
Not only did Andrea Scott
survive

270
00:15:27,093 --> 00:15:30,643
being shot in the head twice,
she was able to walk

271
00:15:30,721 --> 00:15:33,351
out of the hospital
after only eight days,

272
00:15:33,474 --> 00:15:35,644
with minor injuries.

273
00:15:35,768 --> 00:15:37,438
But how?

274
00:15:39,772 --> 00:15:43,482
COYNE: There’s a lot of amazing
things about Mrs. Scott’s story.

275
00:15:43,568 --> 00:15:45,278
The bullets, of course,

276
00:15:45,361 --> 00:15:48,741
after being shot at
point-blank range, in her head,

277
00:15:48,823 --> 00:15:51,373
traveled through the brain
into the neck,

278
00:15:51,492 --> 00:15:55,542
and there are so many
important blood vessels.

279
00:15:55,663 --> 00:15:59,043
Your carotid arteries,
your jugular veins,

280
00:15:59,167 --> 00:16:01,877
the artery that supplies blood
to your brain

281
00:16:02,003 --> 00:16:03,713
that travels up your spine.

282
00:16:03,838 --> 00:16:07,008
All right there,
all within a few inches.

283
00:16:07,133 --> 00:16:10,893
And somehow,
missed all of those.

284
00:16:11,012 --> 00:16:14,352
She did have a lot of healing
to go through.

285
00:16:14,474 --> 00:16:16,524
Part of her face
was paralyzed for a while,

286
00:16:16,601 --> 00:16:20,351
she still gets severe headaches,
but even after all that,

287
00:16:20,438 --> 00:16:24,068
she healed up almost 100%.

288
00:16:24,192 --> 00:16:25,782
Extraordinary tale of survival.

289
00:16:26,611 --> 00:16:28,451
SCOTT:
Doctors told my husband

290
00:16:28,529 --> 00:16:30,909
that it was a miracle,

291
00:16:31,032 --> 00:16:35,202
that they don’t know
how it’s possible

292
00:16:35,328 --> 00:16:39,578
that I didn’t end up dead.

293
00:16:39,707 --> 00:16:43,207
Statistically,
I shouldn’t be alive today.

294
00:16:43,294 --> 00:16:47,924
BROWN:
The chances of surviving
a bullet wound to the brain,

295
00:16:48,049 --> 00:16:50,429
it’s less than 0.1%.

296
00:16:50,551 --> 00:16:54,261
We are absolutely talking about
the difference of millimeters.

297
00:16:54,388 --> 00:16:58,098
That’s what makes this
truly a remarkable case

298
00:16:58,226 --> 00:17:01,226
that shows we haven’t
figured out everything

299
00:17:01,354 --> 00:17:03,984
about blows to the brain.

300
00:17:04,065 --> 00:17:08,325
If our brains have the ability
to endure catastrophic injury,

301
00:17:08,402 --> 00:17:11,362
is it possible
that our bodies possess other,

302
00:17:11,447 --> 00:17:15,447
even more extraordinary
survival capabilities?

303
00:17:15,576 --> 00:17:19,956
Perhaps the answer can be found
by examining the story of a man

304
00:17:20,081 --> 00:17:23,751
who was struck by lightning
not once, not twice,

305
00:17:23,834 --> 00:17:27,424
but seven times, and lived.

306
00:17:37,265 --> 00:17:40,105
SHATNER:
Park ranger Roy Sullivan
is driving south

307
00:17:40,226 --> 00:17:43,516
along Skyline Drive
when suddenly,

308
00:17:43,604 --> 00:17:46,484
a bolt of lightning strikes him

309
00:17:46,607 --> 00:17:49,317
through the open window
of his truck.

310
00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:53,160
FRIEDMAN:
Roy Sullivan
was struck by lightning

311
00:17:53,281 --> 00:17:54,821
driving along a mountain road.

312
00:17:54,949 --> 00:17:57,119
He wasn’t hurt that much.

313
00:17:57,201 --> 00:17:58,791
He was lucky.

314
00:17:58,869 --> 00:18:02,619
Lightning can cause all kinds
of damage to a person.

315
00:18:04,250 --> 00:18:06,130
It can injure one’s nerves,

316
00:18:06,252 --> 00:18:08,882
it can cause headaches
that last, uh,

317
00:18:08,963 --> 00:18:11,973
for many, many months,
if not years.

318
00:18:12,049 --> 00:18:15,009
And of course,
a lightning strike can be fatal.

319
00:18:15,136 --> 00:18:18,306
SHATNER:
The blast burned off Roy’s hair

320
00:18:18,431 --> 00:18:22,271
and left a black burn mark
on his ranger hat.

321
00:18:23,477 --> 00:18:27,057
One out of every ten people
struck by lightning dies.

322
00:18:28,816 --> 00:18:32,316
Those who survive often suffer
debilitating, lifelong injuries.

323
00:18:32,403 --> 00:18:36,163
But somehow, Roy Sullivan

324
00:18:36,282 --> 00:18:39,872
walked away
relatively unscathed.

325
00:18:39,994 --> 00:18:42,374
Though what’s even
more remarkable

326
00:18:42,496 --> 00:18:45,996
is that between 1942 and 1977,

327
00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:50,665
Roy Sullivan was struck by
lightning on six more occasions

328
00:18:50,755 --> 00:18:55,685
and survived
each and every time.

329
00:18:55,801 --> 00:19:00,391
FRIEDMAN:
Roy Sullivan was in
the Guinness Book of Records

330
00:19:00,514 --> 00:19:02,604
for having been the person who
was hit the most

331
00:19:02,683 --> 00:19:04,693
in his lifetime by lightning.

332
00:19:04,810 --> 00:19:08,360
He was dubbed
the Human Lightning Rod,

333
00:19:08,481 --> 00:19:11,611
Spark Ranger and Lightning Man.

334
00:19:13,027 --> 00:19:15,027
There are a number
of factors that increased

335
00:19:15,154 --> 00:19:17,034
Sullivan’s odds of being struck.

336
00:19:17,114 --> 00:19:19,374
He was outdoors,

337
00:19:19,492 --> 00:19:23,202
not only on tops of mountains
but on lookout towers,

338
00:19:23,329 --> 00:19:27,539
moving around
a lot in open spaces.

339
00:19:27,625 --> 00:19:29,715
But the fact that
he was hit seven times

340
00:19:29,835 --> 00:19:32,125
and didn’t die is incredible.

341
00:19:34,507 --> 00:19:37,887
SHATNER:
Lightning is one of the most
devastating forces on Earth.

342
00:19:37,968 --> 00:19:42,008
A single bolt can carry more
than 100 million volts

343
00:19:42,098 --> 00:19:44,218
of electricity

344
00:19:44,308 --> 00:19:47,938
and is five times hotter
than the surface of the Sun.

345
00:19:48,062 --> 00:19:51,232
So how was Roy Sullivan
able to survive

346
00:19:51,357 --> 00:19:55,897
such destructive power
seven times?

347
00:19:56,028 --> 00:20:00,908
Well, according to some experts,
it might have been because

348
00:20:00,991 --> 00:20:04,751
certain people’s bodies
are more resistant

349
00:20:04,870 --> 00:20:07,080
to being electrocuted.

350
00:20:08,624 --> 00:20:10,674
The human body is not
the greatest conductor

351
00:20:10,751 --> 00:20:13,381
for electricity,
but in these cases,

352
00:20:13,462 --> 00:20:17,052
maybe there are compounds
in their bloodstream that do

353
00:20:17,133 --> 00:20:22,763
increase their ability to
generate energy or hold energy.

354
00:20:22,888 --> 00:20:26,098
For example, someone who has

355
00:20:26,225 --> 00:20:29,345
a higher degree of iron
in their bloodstream

356
00:20:29,437 --> 00:20:33,767
could potentially conduct
lightning a little bit better.

357
00:20:35,067 --> 00:20:36,737
SHATNER:
Is it possible that Roy Sullivan

358
00:20:36,819 --> 00:20:38,949
possessed some physical
or genetic trait

359
00:20:39,071 --> 00:20:41,321
that allowed him
to both attract lightning

360
00:20:41,449 --> 00:20:44,119
and withstand
surges of electricity

361
00:20:44,201 --> 00:20:46,661
that could otherwise
kill a normal human?

362
00:20:46,787 --> 00:20:50,617
Perhaps a clue can be found
by examining another person

363
00:20:50,750 --> 00:20:52,960
who was struck by lightning
multiple times

364
00:20:53,085 --> 00:20:55,795
and lived to tell about it.

365
00:21:01,635 --> 00:21:03,465
After a long day of competition,

366
00:21:03,554 --> 00:21:06,144
bull rider Carl Mize
is about to head home

367
00:21:06,265 --> 00:21:08,515
when he grabs the door handle
of his truck

368
00:21:08,642 --> 00:21:13,062
and is instantly hit
by a powerful bolt of lightning.

369
00:21:14,940 --> 00:21:16,820
Right when it happened, I knew
I was struck by lightning.

370
00:21:16,901 --> 00:21:20,611
The-the flash of the light
and the shock, you know,

371
00:21:20,696 --> 00:21:22,316
that went through my arm
and through my body.

372
00:21:22,406 --> 00:21:26,536
It knocked me back four
or five foot on my tail end.

373
00:21:26,660 --> 00:21:29,580
And, uh, I just jumped up
and tried to brush the mud off,

374
00:21:29,663 --> 00:21:32,923
and-and got in my truck
and, uh, left.

375
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,300
SHATNER:
Aside from some achy muscles,

376
00:21:36,378 --> 00:21:39,508
Carl was left uninjured
by the experience.

377
00:21:39,632 --> 00:21:42,342
And like most people,
he wasn’t worried about

378
00:21:42,468 --> 00:21:44,678
this happening again, because
he believed the old adage

379
00:21:44,804 --> 00:21:48,974
that "lightning
never strikes twice."

380
00:21:49,058 --> 00:21:53,518
But between 1994 and 2006,

381
00:21:53,646 --> 00:21:56,266
Carl was struck by lightning

382
00:21:56,357 --> 00:22:00,187
an astonishing five more times.

383
00:22:02,321 --> 00:22:05,371
MIZE:
For 39 years, I’ve worked
at the University of Oklahoma

384
00:22:05,491 --> 00:22:08,161
in the electrical department
in the utility shop.

385
00:22:08,244 --> 00:22:12,164
And we take care of all
the high-voltage electricity.

386
00:22:12,248 --> 00:22:14,878
So I often think
there’s got to be something

387
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,540
that, you know,
attracts lightning to me,

388
00:22:17,670 --> 00:22:20,550
’cause it’s just unheard of
to be struck that many times.

389
00:22:20,673 --> 00:22:24,683
SHATNER:
After each incident,
doctors who examined Carl

390
00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,060
were shocked to discover
that his injuries were minor.

391
00:22:28,180 --> 00:22:29,930
None of his internal organs
suffered the kind

392
00:22:30,057 --> 00:22:32,597
of significant damage
normally seen

393
00:22:32,726 --> 00:22:35,726
in victims of lightning strikes.

394
00:22:35,855 --> 00:22:37,275
There’s not
a whole lot of people

395
00:22:37,398 --> 00:22:39,938
that get struck by lightning,
so doctors

396
00:22:40,067 --> 00:22:42,237
really treat you
as a guinea pig.

397
00:22:42,319 --> 00:22:46,949
They actually had
a man come down

398
00:22:47,074 --> 00:22:48,744
that was an electrical engineer

399
00:22:48,868 --> 00:22:53,078
to measure the DC voltage
in my body.

400
00:22:53,163 --> 00:22:58,093
A common person has
six volts DC to run your body.

401
00:22:58,168 --> 00:23:03,418
Whenever they tested me, I had
1.7, uh, DC volts in my body.

402
00:23:03,549 --> 00:23:07,429
I’m more, uh, conductive
than a-an average person.

403
00:23:07,511 --> 00:23:11,931
And it makes me wonder, and even
the doctors have wondered, too,

404
00:23:12,016 --> 00:23:14,936
could have that
been what’s kept me alive?

405
00:23:17,104 --> 00:23:21,694
The notion that some individuals
are born with an X factor

406
00:23:21,775 --> 00:23:25,355
that allows them
to avoid death is fascinating.

407
00:23:25,446 --> 00:23:28,446
But what about stories
of beating the odds

408
00:23:28,532 --> 00:23:31,412
that are beyond
scientific explanation?

409
00:23:31,493 --> 00:23:34,123
For example,
there are cases of people

410
00:23:34,246 --> 00:23:37,116
who fell from
such incredible heights

411
00:23:37,249 --> 00:23:42,379
that their survival seemed
to defy the laws of physics.

412
00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:53,140
SHATNER:
47 stories above the ground,

413
00:23:53,265 --> 00:23:57,095
brothers Alcides
and Edgar Moreno

414
00:23:57,186 --> 00:24:00,976
step onto a hanging platform
to wash windows.

415
00:24:01,106 --> 00:24:02,646
But when they start working...

416
00:24:03,943 --> 00:24:05,823
...disaster strikes.

417
00:24:27,549 --> 00:24:33,009
SHATNER:
Edgar plunges 472 feet
onto a fence, dying instantly.

418
00:24:33,138 --> 00:24:36,308
But as emergency responders
arrive on the scene,

419
00:24:36,392 --> 00:24:39,022
they approach the wreckage
of the scaffolding

420
00:24:39,144 --> 00:24:43,194
and are shocked to discover
that Alcides is still alive.

421
00:24:44,733 --> 00:24:45,863
GLENN ASAEDA:
Mr. Moreno actually fell

422
00:24:45,985 --> 00:24:47,995
with the scaffolding and landed

423
00:24:48,070 --> 00:24:51,360
onto some garbage cans
in the alleyway.

424
00:24:51,490 --> 00:24:53,580
Our rescue paramedics,

425
00:24:53,701 --> 00:24:56,291
they thought that it was
gonna be a recovery.

426
00:24:56,370 --> 00:24:57,830
But when they got to him,

427
00:24:57,913 --> 00:25:00,213
he opened his eyes
and took a breath.

428
00:25:00,332 --> 00:25:04,172
SHATNER:
Alcides was rushed
to the hospital for surgery.

429
00:25:04,253 --> 00:25:07,213
Several of his vertebrae
had been crushed,

430
00:25:07,297 --> 00:25:11,337
and his skull was fractured,
causing his brain to swell.

431
00:25:12,428 --> 00:25:14,178
He was given 24 pints of blood

432
00:25:14,263 --> 00:25:16,353
and put into
a drug-induced coma,

433
00:25:16,432 --> 00:25:19,602
undergoing 15 more surgeries.

434
00:25:19,727 --> 00:25:24,897
But on January 24, a mere
seven weeks after his accident,

435
00:25:24,982 --> 00:25:29,072
Alcides was discharged
from the hospital.

436
00:25:44,293 --> 00:25:48,053
COYNE:
Any fall from greater than one
and a half times your own height

437
00:25:48,130 --> 00:25:50,880
is considered
potentially deadly.

438
00:25:50,966 --> 00:25:54,216
So for someone to fall from
this great a height and live,

439
00:25:54,303 --> 00:25:57,763
you know, a productive life
is absolutely fascinating.

440
00:25:57,890 --> 00:26:00,390
SHATNER:
Statistically,
falling from a height

441
00:26:00,476 --> 00:26:03,266
greater than 40 feet
is almost always fatal.

442
00:26:03,353 --> 00:26:07,153
So how did Alcides Moreno
survive a fall

443
00:26:07,274 --> 00:26:09,614
from more than ten times
that high?

444
00:26:10,819 --> 00:26:13,239
HAMILTON:
It’s not the falling
that kills you,

445
00:26:13,322 --> 00:26:15,782
it’s the stopping.

446
00:26:15,866 --> 00:26:19,616
And so, if there is
a tree, bushes,

447
00:26:19,703 --> 00:26:22,623
wreckage that’s between you
and what you hit,

448
00:26:22,748 --> 00:26:25,458
those factors
contribute to survival.

449
00:26:25,542 --> 00:26:28,842
And so, the main factor
that caused Alcides Moreno

450
00:26:28,962 --> 00:26:31,672
to survive is that platform
that he was on.

451
00:26:31,799 --> 00:26:34,759
He held onto that
all the way down.

452
00:26:34,843 --> 00:26:38,933
He didn’t fall directly
47 stories

453
00:26:39,014 --> 00:26:41,314
without anything
cushioning his fall.

454
00:26:43,185 --> 00:26:45,775
SHATNER:
Is it possible that being
on top of the platform

455
00:26:45,854 --> 00:26:48,324
broke Alcides Moreno’s fall
just enough for him

456
00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,820
to withstand a 470-foot plunge?

457
00:26:53,153 --> 00:26:54,903
Perhaps the answer
can be found by examining

458
00:26:54,988 --> 00:26:57,618
the story of a woman
who survived

459
00:26:57,699 --> 00:27:01,159
the highest fall in history.

460
00:27:06,834 --> 00:27:10,424
Six miles over the country
of Czechoslovakia,

461
00:27:10,504 --> 00:27:12,594
JAT Airlines Flight 367

462
00:27:12,673 --> 00:27:15,183
is en route
to Belgrade, Yugoslavia,

463
00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:18,140
when a bomb detonates on board.

464
00:27:19,304 --> 00:27:23,814
There are 28 people on,
including crew and passengers.

465
00:27:23,892 --> 00:27:26,442
(people screaming)

466
00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:30,820
The plane breaks apart
into three different parts--

467
00:27:30,899 --> 00:27:34,189
the nose, the middle section,
and the tail--

468
00:27:34,278 --> 00:27:37,108
and it falls about 33,000 feet

469
00:27:37,197 --> 00:27:41,327
into a tiny little village
called Srbská Kamenice.

470
00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:44,870
SHATNER:
The plane’s wreckage

471
00:27:44,955 --> 00:27:47,715
slams into the ground
at 150 miles per hour.

472
00:27:49,251 --> 00:27:53,051
27 of the 28 people
on the plane die on impact.

473
00:27:53,172 --> 00:27:55,552
But against all odds,

474
00:27:55,674 --> 00:27:59,054
one person survives
the fiery crash:

475
00:27:59,136 --> 00:28:02,596
flight attendant Vesna Vulovic.

476
00:28:02,723 --> 00:28:04,023
COYNE:
When the rescuers come,

477
00:28:04,099 --> 00:28:05,639
the plane is in
all kinds of pieces

478
00:28:05,726 --> 00:28:07,636
all over the mountainside,
but here’s her,

479
00:28:07,728 --> 00:28:11,478
in the wreckage, survived,
all ten fingers and toes.

480
00:28:11,565 --> 00:28:17,245
HAMILTON:
She’s wedged in the fuselage,
her head is sticking out,

481
00:28:17,362 --> 00:28:20,322
and there is another
dead crew member on top of her.

482
00:28:20,407 --> 00:28:23,367
She has all sorts
of broken bones,

483
00:28:23,452 --> 00:28:26,872
just terrible injuries,
and a lot of bleeding.

484
00:28:26,955 --> 00:28:30,075
She’s hospitalized
and she did not wake up, really,

485
00:28:30,209 --> 00:28:34,379
until about three weeks later
when her parents came to visit.

486
00:28:34,463 --> 00:28:37,673
After a while,
she wanted to return to work.

487
00:28:37,758 --> 00:28:40,258
She did not have
a fear of flying.

488
00:28:40,385 --> 00:28:44,755
She had no memory of the crash
or the aftermath.

489
00:28:44,848 --> 00:28:48,308
Essentially, her memory
was greeting passengers

490
00:28:48,435 --> 00:28:51,055
and then seeing her parents
later on in the hospital.

491
00:28:51,146 --> 00:28:54,396
SHATNER:
According to The Guinness Book
of World Records,

492
00:28:54,483 --> 00:28:58,073
Vesna Vulovic plummeted
more than six miles,

493
00:28:58,153 --> 00:29:00,913
making her fall the highest
anyone has survived

494
00:29:00,989 --> 00:29:02,739
in recorded history.

495
00:29:02,824 --> 00:29:05,454
But what’s even
more extraordinary

496
00:29:05,577 --> 00:29:07,037
is that she wasn’t
wearing a seat belt

497
00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:10,420
when the plane exploded
at 33,000 feet.

498
00:29:10,499 --> 00:29:13,589
HAMILTON:
Vesna Vulovic
was not in her seat.

499
00:29:13,669 --> 00:29:16,169
It’s a surprise, honestly,

500
00:29:16,296 --> 00:29:18,796
that she wasn’t
killed immediately

501
00:29:18,924 --> 00:29:21,804
from the explosion
or thrown out of the aircraft

502
00:29:21,927 --> 00:29:24,967
like all of the other passengers
and crew.

503
00:29:27,224 --> 00:29:29,434
COYNE:
Some people say, "Oh, she was
in the back of the plane,

504
00:29:29,518 --> 00:29:32,808
"the angle,
maybe when she hit it went

505
00:29:32,896 --> 00:29:36,106
like a skier would land, down
at an angle, not all at once."

506
00:29:36,191 --> 00:29:40,611
And maybe it did, but it
just seems very extraordinary

507
00:29:40,696 --> 00:29:44,196
that all these things could come
together to have one survivor.

508
00:29:46,159 --> 00:29:50,289
The fact that someone can live
through a fall from 33,000 feet

509
00:29:50,372 --> 00:29:52,082
seems to defy all logic.

510
00:29:52,165 --> 00:29:54,825
But maybe we have to accept
that science

511
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:58,710
doesn’t have all the answers
when it comes to understanding

512
00:29:58,839 --> 00:30:02,129
why some individuals
survive the impossible.

513
00:30:03,010 --> 00:30:05,140
Like the stories
of people who believe

514
00:30:05,220 --> 00:30:09,350
they escaped certain death
with the help of a higher power.

515
00:30:19,693 --> 00:30:22,073
SHATNER:
2,400 feet below ground,

516
00:30:22,195 --> 00:30:25,405
dozens of miners toil
in the sweltering darkness

517
00:30:25,532 --> 00:30:27,662
of the San José copper mine.

518
00:30:27,743 --> 00:30:31,543
Suddenly, the Earth
above them shifts

519
00:30:31,621 --> 00:30:35,541
and dislodges a boulder
the size of a 45-story building.

520
00:30:37,669 --> 00:30:39,709
The massive boulder
comes crashing down,

521
00:30:39,796 --> 00:30:41,836
causing the mine shaft
to collapse,

522
00:30:41,923 --> 00:30:45,723
and blocking the ramp
that leads up to the surface.

523
00:30:47,721 --> 00:30:50,101
ARONSON:
There were 33 men in the mine

524
00:30:50,223 --> 00:30:52,393
at the time of the accident.

525
00:30:52,517 --> 00:30:55,097
On the surface, they knew
that there had been

526
00:30:55,228 --> 00:30:57,148
a terrible accident.

527
00:30:57,230 --> 00:30:59,400
But it was not clear

528
00:30:59,524 --> 00:31:02,614
what that meant
for the men down below.

529
00:31:02,736 --> 00:31:05,736
ROMERO:
The outside world had no idea

530
00:31:05,822 --> 00:31:08,122
if they were alive or dead.

531
00:31:08,241 --> 00:31:09,911
People were really on edge,

532
00:31:10,035 --> 00:31:13,125
they were watching this
around the world on television.

533
00:31:13,246 --> 00:31:14,456
It’s really something
that-that people

534
00:31:14,581 --> 00:31:16,421
were following
very, very closely.

535
00:31:16,541 --> 00:31:18,461
SHATNER:
Search and rescue teams

536
00:31:18,585 --> 00:31:20,245
quickly began to drill
into the rock

537
00:31:20,379 --> 00:31:24,919
to try and free the miners,
but progress was slow.

538
00:31:25,050 --> 00:31:27,760
For days, the world watched
in suspense

539
00:31:27,844 --> 00:31:29,724
as rescuers desperately
continued

540
00:31:29,805 --> 00:31:32,645
to drill in search
of the miners.

541
00:31:34,101 --> 00:31:35,851
ROMERO:
There was a lot of concern

542
00:31:35,936 --> 00:31:38,766
about their individual
health conditions.

543
00:31:38,897 --> 00:31:41,317
One of these guys had
an ulcer that was really bad.

544
00:31:41,441 --> 00:31:43,321
One of them was a diabetic.

545
00:31:43,443 --> 00:31:45,363
So there were really
desperate efforts

546
00:31:45,445 --> 00:31:48,485
on the part of the Chilean
authorities to find them.

547
00:31:49,616 --> 00:31:53,116
ARONSON:
It was nearly impossible
to find the men,

548
00:31:53,203 --> 00:31:55,333
because nobody can see
through the Earth.

549
00:31:55,455 --> 00:31:58,625
And the maps were outdated.

550
00:31:58,708 --> 00:32:02,708
And that meant,
as one of the drillers said,

551
00:32:02,796 --> 00:32:04,506
"We’re drilling blind."

552
00:32:04,631 --> 00:32:08,641
Finally, after 17 long days,

553
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:12,640
one of the rescuers’ drills
uncovered evidence that,

554
00:32:12,764 --> 00:32:17,644
incredibly, the miners
were still alive.

555
00:32:17,769 --> 00:32:21,149
The miners
had found some red paint

556
00:32:21,273 --> 00:32:25,443
so that when the drill
came down through,

557
00:32:25,527 --> 00:32:30,777
they could paint
on the drill to show

558
00:32:30,866 --> 00:32:32,326
that "We are alive."

559
00:32:33,827 --> 00:32:35,697
ROMERO:
In the drill,
they sent a note out

560
00:32:35,829 --> 00:32:37,159
that said in Spanish,

561
00:32:37,289 --> 00:32:41,329
"Estamos bien en el refugio,
los 33."

562
00:32:41,418 --> 00:32:44,878
"We are okay in the refuge,
the 33 of us."

563
00:32:45,005 --> 00:32:47,055
(cheering)

564
00:32:47,174 --> 00:32:49,844
And that really
just changed everything.

565
00:32:52,179 --> 00:32:53,889
SHATNER:
Rescuers sent down
small packages

566
00:32:54,014 --> 00:32:56,474
of desperately needed supplies
through the narrow hole

567
00:32:56,558 --> 00:32:57,558
leading to the miners.

568
00:32:57,684 --> 00:32:59,194
They also sent down

569
00:32:59,311 --> 00:33:02,021
a small digital camera.

570
00:33:04,357 --> 00:33:06,777
The video paints
a harrowing portrait

571
00:33:06,860 --> 00:33:08,860
of the conditions the miners
had been trapped in

572
00:33:08,987 --> 00:33:12,567
for the previous 17 days.

573
00:33:12,699 --> 00:33:17,369
Somehow, the men had survived
on only a week’s worth

574
00:33:17,454 --> 00:33:19,754
of food and water.

575
00:33:19,873 --> 00:33:24,503
ROMERO:
These miners were trapped
almost half a mile underground,

576
00:33:24,586 --> 00:33:26,416
with a few cans of tuna fish.

577
00:33:26,546 --> 00:33:27,916
They had to resort
to drinking water

578
00:33:28,048 --> 00:33:30,008
that was used
for industrial purposes.

579
00:33:30,091 --> 00:33:32,591
Also, they created a-a system

580
00:33:32,719 --> 00:33:33,759
in which they had
a democratic vote,

581
00:33:33,887 --> 00:33:35,757
you know, one man, one vote.

582
00:33:35,889 --> 00:33:37,929
And the majority,
if they decided on something,

583
00:33:38,058 --> 00:33:39,558
that was the way
that they were gonna go.

584
00:33:39,643 --> 00:33:41,733
(speaking Spanish)

585
00:33:41,853 --> 00:33:44,693
DURVASULA:
Without knowing it,
the Chilean miners

586
00:33:44,773 --> 00:33:46,523
walked into one
of the most important

587
00:33:46,608 --> 00:33:49,358
survival strategies there is,
which is

588
00:33:49,444 --> 00:33:51,614
creating a sense
of collectivism,

589
00:33:51,738 --> 00:33:54,868
and leaving each of them
feeling less alone

590
00:33:54,950 --> 00:33:56,700
with this nightmare
that they were in.

591
00:33:56,785 --> 00:34:00,165
SHATNER:
After discovering
the miners were alive,

592
00:34:00,247 --> 00:34:03,077
rescuers estimated
that it would take months

593
00:34:03,208 --> 00:34:06,088
to drill through half
a mile of solid rock

594
00:34:06,211 --> 00:34:09,631
and reach the trapped men.

595
00:34:09,756 --> 00:34:14,836
So here you are now,
August 20, August 22,

596
00:34:14,928 --> 00:34:20,138
and the drill operators said
to the team up on top,

597
00:34:20,267 --> 00:34:23,137
"We will be able to get
them out by Christmas."

598
00:34:23,270 --> 00:34:27,150
So, you are going to have
to tell the men

599
00:34:27,274 --> 00:34:29,234
that you’re going
to have to be down

600
00:34:29,317 --> 00:34:31,487
in that mine

601
00:34:31,611 --> 00:34:33,651
for three more months.

602
00:34:35,115 --> 00:34:38,165
To combat their feelings
of helplessness,

603
00:34:38,285 --> 00:34:42,755
the trapped miners turned
to their last remaining refuge:

604
00:34:42,831 --> 00:34:44,621
their faith.

605
00:34:44,749 --> 00:34:47,289
ROMERO:
One of the things
that really struck me

606
00:34:47,419 --> 00:34:52,169
about why they were able
to make it, uh, for so long,

607
00:34:52,299 --> 00:34:55,839
was their religious beliefs.

608
00:34:55,969 --> 00:34:59,349
They really felt like prayer
was one of their strategies

609
00:34:59,472 --> 00:35:01,392
to help them
make it through this.

610
00:35:03,310 --> 00:35:04,980
BROWN:
Literature documents

611
00:35:05,103 --> 00:35:09,693
that faith is a significant
factor in survivability.

612
00:35:11,151 --> 00:35:12,861
Sometimes it’s individual faith,

613
00:35:12,986 --> 00:35:15,446
sometimes it is faith
of a community.

614
00:35:15,530 --> 00:35:18,660
The hard part is,
there is no science

615
00:35:18,742 --> 00:35:21,662
that we have
that absolutely defines it,

616
00:35:21,786 --> 00:35:28,076
but faith has real tangible
results for many people.

617
00:35:29,502 --> 00:35:30,882
DURVASULA:
For the Chilean miners,

618
00:35:31,004 --> 00:35:32,554
many of them were men of faith

619
00:35:32,672 --> 00:35:34,342
as part of
their day-to-day lives.

620
00:35:34,466 --> 00:35:38,886
So praying together,
having that collective energy,

621
00:35:39,012 --> 00:35:42,972
was just enough hope to keep
a person going for another day.

622
00:35:44,601 --> 00:35:46,521
SHATNER:
After 69 days,

623
00:35:46,603 --> 00:35:48,693
the rescuers finally created

624
00:35:48,772 --> 00:35:51,732
a hole big enough
to extract the miners.

625
00:35:53,818 --> 00:35:56,448
Then, as the world waited
with bated breath...

626
00:35:56,529 --> 00:35:59,569
(cheering, applause)

627
00:35:59,699 --> 00:36:02,369
...the men were
brought up one by one.

628
00:36:03,703 --> 00:36:05,123
And astonishingly,

629
00:36:05,205 --> 00:36:10,085
all 33 miners made it out alive.

630
00:36:10,210 --> 00:36:11,710
(cheering, laughter)

631
00:36:11,795 --> 00:36:14,215
But perhaps
what’s even more incredible

632
00:36:14,339 --> 00:36:16,719
is that they were
rescued two months sooner

633
00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:20,090
than everyone expected.

634
00:36:20,220 --> 00:36:22,430
And the miners firmly believed

635
00:36:22,555 --> 00:36:25,095
that this unexpected
turn of events

636
00:36:25,225 --> 00:36:30,615
showed that a higher power
had intervened on their behalf.

637
00:36:30,730 --> 00:36:34,400
ROMERO:
The power of prayer
played a crucial role

638
00:36:34,484 --> 00:36:39,204
in allowing these 33 miners
to make it.

639
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:42,620
It’s even been said
that God was the 34th miner.

640
00:36:42,742 --> 00:36:46,622
Um, several of the men who were
trapped down there said that.

641
00:36:46,746 --> 00:36:50,246
They really felt
like their belief in God

642
00:36:50,333 --> 00:36:52,843
was why they were rescued.

643
00:36:52,919 --> 00:36:55,499
When faced with
a life-or-death scenario,

644
00:36:55,588 --> 00:36:58,298
some people choose
to appeal to a higher power

645
00:36:58,425 --> 00:37:00,305
to help them survive.

646
00:37:00,427 --> 00:37:03,297
But there are others
who react much differently.

647
00:37:03,430 --> 00:37:06,310
When pushed to the limit,
they tap into abilities

648
00:37:06,433 --> 00:37:08,643
they didn’t even know they had.

649
00:37:17,485 --> 00:37:20,025
SHATNER:
Here, in this protected reserve

650
00:37:20,113 --> 00:37:22,203
in the shadow of Mount Kilauea,

651
00:37:22,282 --> 00:37:25,282
tech industry executive
Dewey Gaedcke

652
00:37:25,368 --> 00:37:27,368
heads out for an evening hike.

653
00:37:30,707 --> 00:37:34,287
But as he walks through
the 523-square-mile park,

654
00:37:34,419 --> 00:37:35,749
he becomes lost.

655
00:37:35,837 --> 00:37:38,377
And when he’s unable
to find the road

656
00:37:38,465 --> 00:37:40,725
where he parked his car,

657
00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:45,720
Dewey’s hike transforms into
a grueling fight for survival.

658
00:37:47,807 --> 00:37:49,387
Clouds came over
and covered up the moon,

659
00:37:49,476 --> 00:37:51,476
so it got darker,
it got windier...

660
00:37:53,021 --> 00:37:55,401
...and I completely
missed the road.

661
00:37:55,482 --> 00:37:58,612
And that’s what
really messed me up.

662
00:37:58,693 --> 00:38:00,863
I expected only
an hour and a half hike,

663
00:38:00,987 --> 00:38:02,357
so I really wasn’t
well prepared.

664
00:38:02,489 --> 00:38:04,409
I brought a flashlight,

665
00:38:04,491 --> 00:38:08,121
a digital video camera,
tennis shoes, and that was it.

666
00:38:08,203 --> 00:38:11,583
SHATNER: Miles from his car
and hopelessly lost

667
00:38:11,664 --> 00:38:16,714
within a 330,000-acre maze
of razor-sharp lava rocks,

668
00:38:16,836 --> 00:38:18,836
Dewey quickly realizes
that if he’s to have

669
00:38:18,922 --> 00:38:21,172
any hope of rescue,

670
00:38:21,257 --> 00:38:23,587
he first needs
to keep himself alive.

671
00:38:25,512 --> 00:38:27,432
GAEDCKE:
I was exhausted, I was stressed,

672
00:38:27,514 --> 00:38:30,684
I had a cut that looked like
it might be getting infected.

673
00:38:30,767 --> 00:38:33,267
So I was worried about gangrene.

674
00:38:33,353 --> 00:38:35,443
I hadn’t brought water, uh,
so I was already starting

675
00:38:35,522 --> 00:38:38,442
to get a little bit dehydrated
after being out there that long.

676
00:38:38,525 --> 00:38:40,035
I walked all night.

677
00:38:41,861 --> 00:38:47,621
Well, it’s some very late hour.

678
00:38:47,700 --> 00:38:50,040
I’m dehydrated and I’m lost.

679
00:38:50,161 --> 00:38:51,451
I’m not a survival expert,

680
00:38:51,538 --> 00:38:53,458
but I’ve always been
insanely curious,

681
00:38:53,540 --> 00:38:56,630
and friends have called me
MacGyver since high school.

682
00:38:56,709 --> 00:38:58,169
I’m good at studying things,

683
00:38:58,253 --> 00:38:59,753
and, uh, I’m good
at figuring out

684
00:38:59,879 --> 00:39:02,009
how different pieces
can be used together.

685
00:39:02,966 --> 00:39:05,886
In the morning,
I built a debris shelter,

686
00:39:06,010 --> 00:39:08,300
so I-I had something
to sleep in at night.

687
00:39:08,388 --> 00:39:10,718
And I had built rain catches,

688
00:39:10,849 --> 00:39:14,349
so I’d woken up with
plenty of fresh water.

689
00:39:14,435 --> 00:39:17,685
I talked to my camera every day,
leaving messages for my kids.

690
00:39:17,772 --> 00:39:20,192
I just want to say
to my little girls,

691
00:39:20,275 --> 00:39:22,575
I love you guys so much.

692
00:39:22,652 --> 00:39:25,242
And I’m doing my best
to get home to see you.

693
00:39:27,407 --> 00:39:30,327
My primary hope of getting
rescued was from the sky,

694
00:39:30,410 --> 00:39:33,330
so I had already
broken the mirror off

695
00:39:33,413 --> 00:39:36,833
of my video camera and was using
that to try to reflect the sun

696
00:39:36,916 --> 00:39:39,416
to signal that
I’m in an emergency.

697
00:39:39,502 --> 00:39:41,672
At that point,
I was actually starting

698
00:39:41,754 --> 00:39:45,594
to feel fairly confident I was
very likely to get rescued.

699
00:39:46,426 --> 00:39:48,086
And then I heard a helicopter.

700
00:39:50,013 --> 00:39:53,433
SHATNER:
On his fifth day
of being stranded and alone,

701
00:39:53,558 --> 00:39:57,938
a commercial tour helicopter
found and rescued Dewey.

702
00:39:58,021 --> 00:40:01,231
After his rescue, local
officials informed Dewey

703
00:40:01,316 --> 00:40:03,066
that no one had ever survived

704
00:40:03,151 --> 00:40:07,241
more than three days
lost in the park.

705
00:40:07,322 --> 00:40:09,992
So, how did a tech
industry executive

706
00:40:10,116 --> 00:40:14,616
with no survival experience
manage to endure five?

707
00:40:14,746 --> 00:40:17,496
Well, according to experts,
it was primarily

708
00:40:17,624 --> 00:40:20,794
because of Dewey’s ability
to remain calm

709
00:40:20,919 --> 00:40:24,669
and focus on solutions
in the face of adversity.

710
00:40:24,797 --> 00:40:29,047
Well, I just finished my, uh,
second-generation rain catch.

711
00:40:30,970 --> 00:40:34,600
DURVASULA:
When a person is in
a survival situation,

712
00:40:34,682 --> 00:40:36,892
one of the questions
is whether a person is able

713
00:40:36,976 --> 00:40:39,396
to tap into something
in their mind

714
00:40:39,479 --> 00:40:40,649
that they didn’t know they had.

715
00:40:40,730 --> 00:40:43,440
There are people who have a mix

716
00:40:43,524 --> 00:40:48,244
of resilience,
adaptability, knowledge,

717
00:40:48,321 --> 00:40:52,831
an ability to sort of center
and stay calm and focused.

718
00:40:54,327 --> 00:40:55,737
COYNE:
Some of the more
common attributes

719
00:40:55,828 --> 00:40:57,998
of survivors
is people that don’t focus

720
00:40:58,081 --> 00:41:01,751
on all the terrible things
that are going on around them.

721
00:41:01,834 --> 00:41:03,674
They automatically assume
everything’s gonna be okay.

722
00:41:03,795 --> 00:41:08,265
GAEDCKE:
There were multiple times
where I was scared,

723
00:41:08,341 --> 00:41:11,091
but I don’t believe
I ever panicked.

724
00:41:11,177 --> 00:41:13,927
In retrospect, looking back,

725
00:41:14,013 --> 00:41:18,023
I can really see how impactful
it was and how necessary it was.

726
00:41:19,686 --> 00:41:22,436
So this experience taught me
that not only

727
00:41:22,522 --> 00:41:24,732
could I function well,
I could actually use

728
00:41:24,857 --> 00:41:29,357
my emotions
to serve me under pressure.

729
00:41:29,487 --> 00:41:32,197
And I didn’t know
I was capable of that.

730
00:41:33,533 --> 00:41:36,993
Are we fascinated by stories
of individuals

731
00:41:37,078 --> 00:41:41,168
who cheat death because
we believe, or maybe we hope,

732
00:41:41,249 --> 00:41:44,379
that we could survive
under similar circumstances?

733
00:41:44,502 --> 00:41:47,552
Of course,
the only way to find out

734
00:41:47,630 --> 00:41:50,630
is to actually be thrust into
a perilous situation ourselves.

735
00:41:50,717 --> 00:41:53,717
So, perhaps it’s better for us
that the reason

736
00:41:53,845 --> 00:41:56,765
why some people
live through the impossible

737
00:41:56,889 --> 00:42:00,809
remains... unexplained.

738
00:42:00,893 --> 00:42:02,563
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