Panthers' McCaffrey credited as part of hiking rescue

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey just wanted to take an offseason hike with his brothers and two friends.

He wound up being part of a rescue team.

McCaffrey was part of a group that is being credited with saving 72-year-old Dan Smoker Sr. after he took a nasty fall while hiking Castle Rock in Colorado.

Smoker, who was hiking with his grandson Eli, fell some 20 feet onto a rock and sustained multiple serious injuries.

"It felt like he was in the air for 10 seconds. I had never seen anything quite like that in my life as far as the trauma and the sound. We were in shock," McCaffrey said, per the team's website.

The group, which included his brothers Dylan and Max and family friends Michael Mann and Brooke Pettet, sprung into action.

McCaffrey says he dialed 9-1-1, while Mann and another onlooker tended to Smoker. The other hiker kept Smoker's head still while Mann did chest compressions. Eli Smoker, 13, tried to reach his father, who was in San Diego for his 15th wedding anniversary.

"Everybody stepped up," McCaffrey said. "I called 9-1-1, and it felt like an eternity. It felt like we were up there waiting for four hours. But I looked back at my call log and it took 11 minutes before the paramedics came. Amazing what those guys did."

Help finally arrived and rushed Smoker to the hospital, where doctors found a slew of injuries: a broken femur, a broken pelvis, internal bleeding, bleeding on the brain, nine fractured ribs and a broken neck, according to the Panthers' website. McCaffrey visited the hospital with his mom and brothers to check on the elder Smoker and Eli the following day.

"We all took it upon ourselves to check up on that kid," McCaffrey said. "It could be a lifelong bond between us. He experienced a lot in those five minutes."

Dan Smoker Sr. remains in critical but stable condition, as of Tuesday afternoon.

His son, Dan Smoker Jr., credited the group with saving his dad's life.

"It shows the really good side of humanity," Dan Smoker Jr. said. "Pretty amazing."

--Field Level Media