911 call shows pilot's trouble after plane crash
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911 call shows pilot's trouble after plane crash Video by fox4now.com
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COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. - We're learning just how much a Cape Coral man went through this weekend after crashing his ultralight airplane southwest of Immokalee Saturday morning.
Collier County released the 911 tapes that all started when Anthony Radelat called in his own crash.
Dispatch: "Collier County 911. What is the address of your emergency?"
Radelat: "Hi. I crashed about 5 miles west of the Immokalee airport."
That is the call that sparked a hunt for Radelat, injured from a plane crash somewhere in Collier County. He relied on his cell phone to find help.
Dispatch: "Where are you injured at?"
Radelat: "I don't know. I'm bleeding somewhere and the airplane is on top of me. Will somebody be here soon?"
Dispatch: "I don't know if they'll be there soon, sir. I don't know if there is any access to there."
Rescuers used GPS coordinates from Radalet's phone to find a general area. It brought them to the 8200 block of Oil Well Grade Road near Utopia Farms. From there, rescuers had acres of thick brush and trees to search.
The 911 tapes continued to roll.
Dispatch: "Are you trapped at the legs or what?"
Radelat: "Legs."
The tapes show Radelat was hanging upside down from the plane during the search that lasted almost 2 hours.
Dispatch: "What do you hear right now?"
Radelat: "I hear a helicopter."
The hunt became a game of 'hot or cold' using the sounds of a helicopter to pinpoint his exact location.
Dispatch: "Is it directly above you or to the east of you? To the west?" Radelat: "I don't know."
At one point, it seemed the search became too much for Radelat.
Radelat: "I can't yell anymore."
But soon after, Radelat's saviors arrived. It wouldn't have happened without that phone call and those that literally held his life on the line.
Radelat: "Thank you!"
Dispatch: "These guys will help you from here on out, ok?"
Radelat: "Alright."
Dispatch: "Good job. Stay strong for me ok?"
Radelat: "K."
Dispatch: "Alright, bye."
Radelat was Medflighted to Lee Memorial with possible broken bones and internal injuries.
As of Wednesday night, he was listed in serious condition.
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