Instagram Atz Lee's Instagram post following his accident.
In Summer 2015, Atz Lee Kilcher, from Alaska: The Last Frontier, suffered a catastrophic accident while hiking in Otter Cove, Alaska. His accident and its aftermath were documented on the Discovery Channel series.
What exactly happened to Kilcher on that near-fatal day? How is he doing today? Read on for details.
Kilcher Suffered Crushed Ribs & 2 Punctured Lungs
In June 2015, Kilcher was hiking with a friend in Otter Cove near Homer, Alaska. He fell off a cliff and suffered major injuries, including a broken arm, a broken shoulder, broken ankle, broken hip, crushed ribs, and two punctured lungs.
In a press statement on Facebook, Kilcher’s wife, Jane, wrote, “It will be a challenging and long road to recovery for Atz Lee and the family appreciates everyone’s good thoughts at this challenging time.”
Kilcher, himself, also took to social media to discuss the incident. On Instagram, he wrote, “My recovery is going slow but steady to me but the DRs say I’m recovering fast all considering.working hard with my physical therapist and looking forward to running and jumping from trees and mountain tops again someday.”
A clip from Discovery shows the moment Jane found out about her husband’s fall. She explains that she received a phone call in the middle of the night. She later learned that while Atz and his friend, Mike, were hiking, night began to fall. Atz took one wrong step and plummeted over a cliff’s edge. “Luckily, Mike had a satellite phone with him. The paramedics came in a chopper and the helicopter took Atz out of there,” Jane explains.
A year after the accident, Kilcher took to Instagram to update fans about his progress. He wrote, “A year ago today I was humbled by gravity, fear and friendship. It’s been a hard recovery but I can’t complain all considering. I still have my health, family and friends and that is a blessing for sure. Thanks everyone for your support and good wishes, things are different now of course but all in all I am well.”
Kilcher Tried to Sue the Resort for His Fall
According to a 2017 article in The Blast, Kilcher attempted to sue the resort for the fall. He demanded $100,000, claiming that the Otter Cove Resort was at fault for failing to warn him about the cliff he was hiking and that there was “inadequate guarded and/or warned of sudden precipitous edge of the land/drop.”
According to reports obtained by The Blast, the resort responded to the lawsuit by denying any liability or responsibility. They argued that Kilcher’s injuries “were due to his negligence.”
No new information has surfaced regarding the status of the lawsuit.
Atz has appeared as a series regular on Alaska: The Last Frontier since 2011. He and his family have spent eight seasons chronicling what life in rural Alaska is like year-round.
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