How A Minnesota Man Survived Being Trapped Under a Tree for 4 Days
Accidents caused by falling trees aren’t that uncommon — and they don’t always have happy endings.
By Jessie Schiewe
Credit: Flickr/Ron Miguel
When 59-year-old Jonathan Ceplecha headed outside on Thursday, August 27 to cut down oak trees on his rural property in southern Minnesota, he didn’t expect the work to take very long. A few hours, maybe a whole day at the most, he estimated. It was a routine job, one the Iraq War veteran had done many times before.
But this time, a freak accident happened. As Ceplecha hacked away at the trees towering above him, one of the oaks fell — on top of him. It only took a split-second to happen and suddenly the man was on the ground, his legs instantly broken and pinned beneath the gigantic log, his torso twisted in an uncomfortable upright position.
Ceplecha had no cell phone on him. He also lives alone and had no nearby neighbors that he could yell to for help. His only option was to lay there and wait until somebody found him. So that’s what he did — for more than four days.
According to a GoFundMe campaign launched by his son, Miles, Ceplecha survived the ordeal thanks to his wit and ingenuity:
“Throughout his isolation, Jonathan ate plants and insects within arm's reach, drank sweat and rainwater that he collected in his clothes, and covered his head in his shirt during the nights to keep the insects off as he slept.”
Ceplecha also occupied his mind during the 100-plus hours he was trapped under the tree:
“He kept his sanity by breaking down every day into hours, and each hour into 5-minute segments. As someone of a heavy faith, he prayed to himself often, and tried to distract himself from panic by meditating and inventing rhythms to follow from dawn to dusk.”
Ceplecha was finally discovered just before 4 p.m. on Monday, August 31. His ex-wife had decided to visit the property after his family had grown concerned because he wasn’t answering their calls. The school where Ceplecha worked as a teacher had also gotten in touch with his family after he failed to show up for classes on Friday and Monday.
Credit: Flickr/slgckcg
When firefighters arrived, it took them two hours to free Ceplecha from the felled tree. He was flown to a Minneapolis hospital where he underwent surgery on his lower legs and feet. Though both legs are badly broken, they will not have to be amputated.
According to the first responders who found him, Ceplecha’s ability to survive the ordeal — and remain “cognizant and alert” throughout it — was both impressive and rare. In fact, they believe that his military background, along with some rainfall that happened on Sunday, are what helped keep him alive.
“Not many people could have survived that,” Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Farasyn told TwinCities.com.
He’s right. Although falling tree accidents aren’t particularly common, they tend to have a high fatality rate when they happen. According to a report from the National Tree Safety Group, six people a year are killed in the U.K. by falling trees or branches.
Death by a falling tree can happen literally anywhere there are trees. People have been killed by them while on hikes, sitting on park benches, walking the dog, or jogging. At any age, one can become a victim to them, be they 8, 22, 49, or older. Even pregnant women have died from falling trees.
If they are lucky, they die instantly from head injuries or a broken neck. But some suffer beneath their heavy, unmovable loads, which can weigh as much as 1 ton, passing away before help can arrive or after they’ve been taken to the hospital.
And it’s not just oak trees — some of the largest trees in the U.S. — that can crush and kill a person. Falling eucalyptus and even palm trees have also caused deaths, with the former killing a young woman in 2014 as she was driving on a freeway in Northern California and the latter killing a Los Angeles man in 2019 as he waited for the bus.
Though many falling tree injuries are nothing more than just freak accidents and bad timing, there are commonalities behind why they happen. Storms and heavy rains can cause tree roots to become dislodged, even well after the weather has cleared. If winds are strong enough, they can break off branches or chop through tree trunks, causing them to fall. Gardening mishaps, such as the scenario Ceplecha found himself in, are also common. The opposite is true, as well, with dead, diseased, or improperly maintained trees being more likely to suddenly drop branches or lose limbs without a moment’s notice.
So what should you do if you’re now, after reading this article, terrified of perishing beneath a fallen tree? Nothing really.
Credit: Flickr/Nahid V.
There are trillions of trees all over the planet, with more than 250 billion of them in the U.S. alone, so avoiding them is out of the question. Instead, try to stay informed of the weather conditions and remain aware anytime you are outdoors.
To reference one of the most overused philosophical riddles: If a tree falls in the forest, it does make a sound. So keep your ears peeled. It might just save your life.
JESSIE SCHIEWE IS THE EDITOR OF OK WHATEVER. SHE BELIEVES IN UNICORNS AND SHE THRIFT SHOPS FOR EXERCISE.
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