A man trapped beneath a huge boulder while fishing alone was dramatically rescued after using Siri to call 911.
Joseph Little, 28, was fishing by a marina in Hammond, a neighborhood in Astoria on the Oregon coast, when a boulder broke loose and fell on him, according to his family and emergency responders.
The Warrenton Fire Department reached the scene at 7.38am on Sunday and found Little pinned beneath the rock. Because the surrounding terrain was unstable, firefighters were unable to remove him and called in the Coast Guard for assistance.
A Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter crew arrived at 9.55am and lifted Little out of the rocky area. He was then taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital for treatment.
In an online fundraiser, Little’s family said he was unable to free himself but managed to call for help using his headphones.
‘What followed was an incredible rescue effort. Multiple agencies, first responders, and helicopters came together to locate Joe, free him from beneath the boulder, and get him the emergency medical care he desperately needed,’ the fundraiser’s description read.
Little’s mother, Mindy, told local Fox affiliate KPTV that her son asked Siri to call 911 through his Bluetooth earbuds. The earbuds remained on after the boulder struck him.
‘His face got smashed. He’s almost unrecognizable. It’s a miracle that my son is alive,’ Mindy emotionally recalled.
Joseph Little was rescued on Sunday morning after a boulder crushed him while he was fishing alone. He is pictured above with his wife, Sabrina. Picture source: Sabrina Little / Facebook
The Coast Guard released dramatic footage of the operation. An emergency responder was lowered from the helicopter, secured Little to a stretcher and helped hoist him to safety.
Little required extensive surgery after the accident. His mother described his survival as a ‘miracle’ and said he was ‘almost unrecognizable.’ Picture source: Support Now
Sergeant Dylan McCoy of the Warrenton Police Department told the outlet that responders located Little by sounding their vehicle horns while a dispatcher asked whether he could hear them.
Responders also deployed a drone to search the area. When they found Little, only part of his upper body could be seen.
Firefighters cleared away smaller rocks around Little to help free him. Once the Coast Guard arrived, he was lifted from the scene by helicopter.
The rescue footage showed a Coast Guard member being lowered from the helicopter over the rugged, unstable terrain.
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The responder secured Little to a stretcher before another Coast Guard crew member helped raise him to the helicopter.
‘Today showcased how the Coast Guard and local agencies work together to save lives,’ said Chief Petty Officer Patrick Toomey, the command duty officer for the Coast Guard Sector of the Columbia River.
The Coast Guard cautioned that jetties and breakwaters can be hazardous, with slippery, uneven surfaces and shifting tides capable of moving boulders.
Little’s grandmother, Kelly Simonson, told KPTV that he felt the boulder begin to move and tried to get out of its path. However, he slipped and was crushed beneath it.
A Coast Guard responder was lowered onto the scene before Little was secured and hoisted aboard the helicopter.
Local police and fire crews used a drone to pinpoint Little’s location as a 911 dispatcher asked him to locate honks from emergency responders
The Coast Guard warned that breakwaters and jetties often have uneven surfaces and changing tides that can shift boulders, making fishing conditions dangerous
Little is now recovering in the hospital with his wife by his side. The family said in an update on Thursday that he was preparing for facial reconstruction surgery
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According to Little’s Facebook profile, he works for the City of Gearhart and married his wife, Sabrina, in 2024.
The family has raised over $20,000 as of Thursday night for Little’s recovery. ‘Joe and Sabrina have a long and difficult journey ahead of them,’ the fundraiser’s description read.
‘Sabrina is staying by Joe’s side as they face the uncertainty of his injuries, treatment, and recovery together.’
His family wrote in an update on Thursday that Joe was preparing to go into surgery for facial reconstruction.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Little’s family for additional comment.