Serbian alpinist Kolaric: I was saved by God and a pillow from my backpack; I stopped just above the biggest cliff

Alpinist and Mountain Rescue Service member, Nikola Kolaric, who was injured while hiking on Prokletije yesterday and was transported to a hospital in Tirana, told Kosovo Online that he got through without serious injuries and expressed his gratitude to the Albanian rescuers and doctors for their professional approach and quick intervention.

Kolaric said that he would be released from the hospital in a day or two, and he would be back in Serbia with his wife and son.

He recalls that on that day, he and four friends set off to the top of Prokletije in order to ski down from there. He says that all four are experienced skiers, that they slept in Lake's Valley before the accident, and they headed for the top in the morning.

"Then I did one reckless thing. Everyone was going the normal route, and I wanted to climb the summer route, which is a little more inaccessible, and I didn't even have the equipment for those conditions. I relied on experience. That bad judgment could have cost me a lot. I slipped and fell right before the top, and I was carrying a backpack and skis on my back. I flew maybe more than a hundred meters," Kolaric said.

He believes that his life was saved, as he says, by God himself and a pillow from his anti-avalanche backpack that was activated.

Nikola says that when he stopped right in front of the biggest cliff, he had the impression that "everything was broken", and he also had terrible pain in his stomach area.

"When I fell, I heard something crackle, and I thought it was the spine, but after moving my arms and legs, I concluded that it was the ribs. From the shock and how the body pulled all the blood to the center, I started to have the first signs of hypothermia. I started shaking and tried to reach my colleagues who were going to the top," Kolaric says.

He recalls calling an ambulance and the rescue service, which managed to locate him, get him to safety, and administer first aid.

"They transported me first to the valley, and then to Tirana. This is a big hospital, with extremely professional staff. All the analyzes were done on me. By some higher power, I passed without serious injuries, but it is difficult for me to move, and my ribs are bruised," the mountaineer said, adding that the doctors advised him to remain under observation for two more days just in case.

He told young mountaineers to be careful and to always follow the advice of more experienced colleagues.

"There is no place for self-confidence on the mountain," he said.

Kolaric used the opportunity to praise the promptness of the Albanian Mountain Rescue Service, its modern equipment and helicopter, as well as the skilled pilot, rescuers, and medical staff from the hospital.

As Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi announced on Facebook yesterday, two helicopters of the Albanian Air Force transported four Serbian mountaineers yesterday, one of whom fell and was injured at the crossing from Valbone to Tet.