reader ' s digest 중 에서 The rescue plan would either free the trapped girl or hasten her death . One Inch From Death by Michael Bowker Thirteen - year - old Dana sat dejectedly on a rock as she stared across the boulder - strewn mountainside . None of her classmates or teachers from the River Middled school in Calif . , were in sight . The steep slope below was a menacing jumble of jagged rocks . In the pine groves beyond that , darkness was already gathering . She felt frustrated and alone . " Hello ! " the dark - haired seventh - grader shouted . " Can anybody hear me ? " No answer . It was June 2 , 1997 , and Dana ' s class had just arrived in Yosemite National Park on a year - end outdoor - education trip . After dinner they had hiked up the wooded mountainside . As Dana ' s classmates fanned out into the forest , she had picked her way up the rugged slope . She climbed steadily for nearly half an hour before realizing she was alone . " Help ! " she yelled again . " Is anybody around ? " Hearing nothing , Dana ' s face tightened with anger . Nobody cares about me , she thought . Then she caught herself . Throughout sixth grade she had been convinced her classmates disliked her , and spent most of her time alone and depressed . As she entered seventh grade , she vowed to become more outgoing and independent . I ' ll just get down on my own , she told herself . Dana stepped carefully from rock to rock . The late spring rains had softened the ground in places . After a few minutes she came to a boulder - strewn ledge , 15 feet across , that tilted back toward the mountain . Dana hopped onto the ledge , landing on a melon - size rock . The rock skidded , and she fell facedown in a shqllow depression . Unhurt , Dana started to get up , but something pushed her back down . An instant later she felt an intense , painful pressure on her legs and back that took her breath away . Fearing she would suffocate , she fought wildly , gasping for air . As she worked her head around , she was horrified to see that a granite boulder had rolled on top of her . She must have jostled a rock that was holding the boulder in place . Now she was pinned to the earth , able to move only her head , left foot and right hand . Panic - stricken , she tried to yell but managed little more than a whisper . The boulder , nearly the size of a small car , continued to settle , pushing Dana even deeper into the dirt . She wriggled frantically , pushing up against the great stone , then slowly gave up and lay still . The pain was unbearable . Maybe , she thought , death won ' t be so bad . Suddenly the pressure leveled off . The boulder had come to rest - now at least she could breathe . Fear gave way to determination : Stop thinking about dying and start screaming . She did , and this time her voice carried up the mountainside . Less than 20 minutes later , Graham Pierce , administratorof the park ' s medical clinic , received a signal on his emergency radio . A teacher had heard Dana ' s cries and alerted a park ranger , who made the call . The 34 - year - old Pierce quickly gathered his gear , then , with two members of his medical team , jumped into an ambulance . As they raced through Yosemite Valley , Pierce grew unusually tense . The report of a possible crush victim brought back a searing memory . only a few months before , he had been called to a traffic accident . A young man in his 20 s , conscious but in severe pain , was trapped under a heavy trailer . Pierce comforted him for more than an hour while they waited for equipment to free him . His vital signs appeared strong , but seconds after the trailer was lifted , he suffered heart failure and died in Pierce ' s arms . The experience was still on Pierce ' s mind when the ambulance reached the base of the mountain where Dana lay trapped . It took him and his team 20 minutes of hard climbing to reach her . Pierce grimaced when he saw Dana . She lay headfirst on the downhill slope of the ledge , with the boulder covering everything but he legs and head . The five - ton rock teetered over her at an alarming slant . If it rolled even slightly , it would crush her skull . only the fact that she had fallen into the small depression had saved her . " This is bad , " Pierce said softly to paramedic Kim Ednor as they hurried to Dana ' s side . Trapped for almost an hour , she was near hysteria . " Please get me out ! " she shouted . " We ' re going to get this rock off you as quickly as we can , " Pierce said calmly , checking her pulse . " It ' s going to take some time , though . You have to be extremely brave . Can you do that ? " She nodded , but Pierce saw fear in her eyes . Keith Lober , director of the park ' s search - and - rescue team , waved him over . Ednor stayed with Dana . " We ' ve got a real problem , " Lober said . " If we move that boulder just an inch or two the wrong way , it could roll and kill her and anybody near her . " Both men knew Dana ' s chances of survival were poor . Even if they got her safely from under the rock , she might have already suffered internal injuries . Pierce cut away Dana ' s jeans , nearly recoiling at the blue - black color of her legs . He could find no pulse in either of them . The rock was cutting off the blood supply at her waist . If she survives , he thought , she may lose both legs . His breath caught short as he imagined his own daughter in this situation . Dana cried out as waves of nausea and pain washed over her . Pierce had morphine in his medical kit , but he knew the painkiller would lower her blood pressur . Keeping an even fluid pressure in her body was critical . Piece had learned a great deal about crush victims since the death of the man pinned under the trailer . When juman cells are torn or crushed , they release large amounts of potassium into the bloodstream . If a heavy wight blocking the blood flow is suddenly lifted , the flood of potassium can cause cardiac arrest . To help prevent this , the blood pressure must be stabilized through the injection of fluids , which Pierce began administering intravenously . But he had no blood or plasma , so he immediatedly radioed for the Air Med helicopter , stationed at the Doctors Medical Center of Modesto , more than 100 miles away . By now , the girl had been under the boulder for nearly two hours . Pierce talked to her continuously in a confident , reassuring voice . As she listened , Dana shut her eyes and squeezed his hand . Floodlights illuminated the flank of the mountain where more than 30 rescue workers now labored to free Dana . The surrounding forest was pitch - black . Under Lober ' s watchful eye , a team carefully drilled holes and attached anchor bolts in the top of the boulder . They then clipped ropes onto the bolts and tied them to trees uphill . Lober hoped these lines would keep the boulder from slipping while they attempted to lift it off Dana . Another team worked to position the Jaws of Life , a hydraulic tool often used in car accidents . Lober planned to use it like a powerful jack to help lift the rock . Meanwhile , a third team was placing air bags under the boulder . Everything had to be done with absolute precision or the boulder would roll . Pierce watched Dana ' s vital signs closely . Her heart seemed stron , but there was still no pulse from her legs . " We ' ll have you out of here before long , " He told her , smiling . He was glad she didn ' t know the truth . Just then , a member of the search - and - rescue team approached Pierce with a worried look . They had found an unstable boulder the size of a bus about 75 feet up the mountain , directly above them . All this activity could cause it to roll , Pierce thought . We ' ve got to get her out of here now . In a few minutes , everything was in place . At Lober ' s command , a small amount of air was pumped into the air bags . The buoulder rose about a quarter - inch , then began to wobble . " Hold it ! " Lober shouted as the team jammed pieces of wood under the air bags . The rock steadied . " It ' s okay , " Pierce reassured Dana . " We ' re getting close to having this thing off you . " He stayed by her side , knowing he could not move in time if the boulder rolled . The operation continued with agonizing slowness . Each time the rock was moved , it teetered on the men say over and over . She fought her fear by concentrating on Pierce ' s voice . " There sure are a lot of people up here who care about you , " he told her . It took nearly an hour to raise the rock one inch . Dana was still wedged tight . Pierce and Lober tried not to think about the unstable boulder up the mountain . It was a cool night , but Pierce ' s shirt was soaked with sweat . A short time later , a team arrived with the blood and plasma , which Pierce injected into Dana ' s arm . Just before 10 : 30 p . m . , 3 1 / 2 hours after Dana became trapped , Pierce felt a little give when he gently tugged on her leg . " I think we ' re close , " he told Lober . It was time to go for broke . Pierce knelt by Dana ' s side . " We ' re going to lift the rock now , " he said . " Be brave for a few more minutes , and we ' ll have you out of here . " Pierce and Lober stationed themselves by her legs . Slowly the crew inflated the air bags . The rock wobbled and began to rise . When it had risen a full inch , the two men looked at each other and nodded . " Now ! " Lober yelled , and they pulled . " She ' s moving ! " Lober shouted . " She ' s out ! " Crew members whooped and helped Pierce and Lober lift her away from the boulder . Exhausted , Dana could manage only a smile . She was strapped onto a spine board - used for victims with back and neck injuries - then placed in a Stokes Rescue Basket . The rescue crew had to rope the long metal cage down the steeper parts of the mountain . Dana watched the stars overhead and was vaquely aware that people were walking beside her . " Aren ' t you lucky ? " she heard a gentle voce beside her ask . " You get a free ride . " It was almost midnight when they reached the foot of the mountain . An ambulance sped them to Crane Flat , where the Air Med helicopter waited . There was no room on board for Pierce . " I ' ll see you first thing in the morning , " he promised Dana . " Your ' re doing fine . " As the helicopter roared off , Pierce prayed that he was right . The next morning , Pierce raced up to the second floor of Doctors Medical Center of Modesto . Bracing himself , he opened the door to Dana ' s room and found her sit - ting up in bed . She broke into a huge smile . " You saved my life , " she told him . " Thank you . " She opened her arms , and the two hugged eache other . Almost miraculously , Dana suffered no broken bones or internal injuries in the ordeal . Her worst injury was a severely bruised and twisted right knee , which took nearly three months to heal . During her recovery , Dana was visited by dozens of clasmates . She also received a huge get - well card signed by the entire school . Two months after the accident , Dana sent Pierce a thank - you card . " I feel I can face almost anything now , " she wrote . " Because nothing under 10 , 000 pounds scares me anymore . "