911, What’s Your Emergency? I’m In A Tree in a Swamp in Upstate New York!

Every once and a while people get stuck in tough situations, literally stuck. This could happen while hiking or driving a car and sometimes you get stuck in a tree, in a swamp, behind a Pizza Hut.

Last Friday, in Rome, New York, a man called 911 to report that he was stuck in a tree and needed rescue. According to Syracuse.com the search began around 7:20pm when Oneida County Police responded to a swampy, wooded area behind the Pizza Hut at 1127 Erie Boulevard West.

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Reports are that the man had been stuck in the tree for 5 hours before making the call. I am confident that I never would have made the call at all. I would have been mortified to call 911 and tell them I am stuck in a tree like a cat.

What happened in this guys day that ended with him in a swamp in the woods, let alone stuck in a tree? I have always wondered what would really happen to us if we ignore the "stay on the trail" signs when we are exploring the woods. Is this it? You end up in a tree? Responding officers made their way through knee-deep water to reach the man before bringing him to safety.

My mom found herself in a similar situation so it can happen. In her case she got locked in the bathroom at a state park at dusk. Park rangers were closing the area for the evening and locked the bathrooms without checking to see if anyone was in there. Typically you knock and if someone is using the bathroom they say "someone's in here" or "just a minute".

Thankfully my mom used her cell phone to let them know she was locked in the bathroom. If this happened in the 1980's she might have been in there all night. Always keep a charged smartphone with you while venturing into the woods so if you find yourself stuck in a tree, in the swamp, behind Pizza Hut you can make the call and be rescued.