Clay and Acaimie Chastain from Indianapolis, US went to visit the Caribbean island of St. Kitts for their honeymoon. They made a hike to the dormant volcano Mount Liamuiga. After a 3-hour long hike to the top of the mountain, without a guide, Clay wanted to climb down into the volcano for a better view of the scenery around, while Acaimie stayed back due a fear of heights.
These happy newlyweds went for their honeymoon to the Caribbean, but soon their paradise vacation turned into a nightmare.
Acaimie shared the story of how Clay fell into the mountain,
I heard a really loud snap and then what sounded like a huge boulder rolling down the hill.
After hearing this, she went ahead to see what had happened, only to see her husband seeing him lying on the ground with blood pouring from his head. Because of the fall, Clay had cracked vertebrae, a fractures skull and a serious concussion. “One second I’m climbing, the next second the world is spinning, and I can hear her calling down to me,” he told the Indianapolis Star.
On her way down, Acaimie found his phone and the bandana he was wearing, her fear about what she’d find increasing by the minute.
On finding him, she discovered that there is no cell service, nor any other hikers around. So it fell on her to get her husband out of there, back to the base of the mountain – another 3 hour long hike. She told him,
We’re going to have to be strong. We’re going to have to climb out of here.
Clay had enough strength left in him to climb out of the volcano and walk 2 miles back to the base, but he stumbled and even vomited on their way back, leaning completely on his wife for support.
Acaimie, who is only 5 ft 2 inches tall, supported and carried her husband all the way back down. Half way down, once they were back in cell coverage, she called for help and the paramedics arrived at the base to take Clay.
He was leaning on me a lot and he was just gasping more and more and he just kept asking me ‘how much farther?’ It was a miracle that he was able to support himself for as long as he did with the injuries he had.
The couple managed to raise more than $30,000 (£24,000) in funds to help get Clay back the US. He is in now in Fort Lauderdale, Florida recovering from his injuries.
He is currently deaf in one ear and leaking spinal fluid from his nose and will need to remain in hospital to be monitored, but those symptoms are expected to be only temporary.
