Boy Freed After Being Trapped Beneath Boulder for Hours in Colorado

EAGLE, Colo. (AP) -- A 16-year-old Texan whose right foot was trapped under a huge boulder in the wilderness for more than 12 hours suffered swelling but no broken bones after rescuers freed him early Thursday.

''That was the big surprise. Nothing was broken,'' William McCann said from his hospital room at Vail Valley Medical Center.

McCann, of Leander, Texas, was climbing around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday with about 20 people with Outward Bound in the Holy Cross Wilderness area southwest of Vail when he was trapped by a rock about 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide, Eagle County sheriff's officials said.

McCann said others in his group had pulled themselves up in a field of boulders by grabbing rocks. When it was his turn, the boulder under his right hand came crashing down on his foot.

''I didn't think twice about it because a couple people ahead of me put their hands on the same rocks,'' he said.

Rescuers told him the boulder weighed at least 1,000 pounds.

''It felt like my toes were going to pop, there was so much pressure,'' McCann said.

His companions tried to lift the rock, using different angles and pulley systems before finding another Outward Bound patrol leader with a mobile phone, he said. That leader hiked to the top of the mountain to get reception to attempt a patchy 911 call, although no one knew whether the dispatcher was able to hear enough information to send help, McCann said.

''I went through a bunch of different stages. A lot of pain and anguish,'' McCann said. ''Then my body started going through shock. Then after a few hours, my body got used to the pain and learned to ignore it.''

Sheriff's officials said the group's 911 call came in around 7:30 p.m., and the Colorado Army National Guard flew rescuers to the scene in a helicopter.

''I was excited,'' McCann said. ''It was right about the time it was getting dark. I was afraid I was going to have to spend the night in the position I was in. It was such a relief to see the helicopter.''

He didn't learn until later that his parents, who were in Colorado on Thursday to be with him, had been asked for their permission to amputate his foot if necessary.

''They were hysterical,'' McCann said. ''That was real hard on them.''

McCann expected he would be released from the hospital Friday and then head back to Texas.

He said he signed up for Outward Bound after hearing from his aunt how much she loved her own trip with the educational group.

''I loved it,'' McCann said of his own experience, ''up until the boulder.''