COALDALE, Pa. - Police say a Pennsylvania man has survived a 500-foot fall into an abandoned strip mine.
Coaldale Police Chief Timothy Delaney says 23-year-old Nathan Bowman of Tamaqua was trespassing on coal-company property when he slipped and fell into the cavernous Springdale Pit early Friday.
He says Bowman survived a sheer drop onto a rock ledge hundreds of feet down.
Delaney says rescuers used a basket to lift Bowman out. Bowman is in serious condition at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem.
Delaney says Bowman is obviously extremely lucky to be alive.