Father Uses App To Guide Emergency Team To Rescue Farmer Trapped Underneath 1,000-Pound Hay Bale

A quick-thinking father helped save the life of a farmer who was trapped beneath a massive hay bale weighing 1,000 pounds. The father's resourcefulness in utilizing an app to guide emergency services to the remote location played a crucial role in the rescue operation.

The incident took place in Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England. Michael Moss, 39, was having lunch in his yard when he heard desperate cries for help coming from a nearby field.

"Where we live is very rural," Moss said during an interview with British news agency SNWS, via Fox News. "When you hear something unusual, you twitch your head."

Moss, in his flip-flops, ran through the woodland. "[I] could hear, 'Help me!' as I got closer. A male voice was screaming, 'Help me,'" he recalled.

Moss followed the distressed screams and discovered Stephen, a farmer from the nearby field, pinned to the ground from the waist down and trapped underneath a 1,000-pound industrial-sized bale of hay.

In severe pain, the farmer cried for help. After Moss' initial attempts to move the heavy bale himself, he realized he needed professional help.

He dialed the U.K. emergency number 999 but was concerned about not being able to guide the ambulance to the exact location because it was so rural. Thinking quickly, he decided to rely on the what3words app.

​​What3words is a digital-mapping company that launched in July 2013. According to the app's website, it "has divided the entire world into 3-meter squares and given each square a unique identifier made from three words." The unique three-word code assigned to each location provides precise coordinates for emergency services.

Moss informed the emergency call handlers of the three words "dads," "scorched" and "hairstyle," which accurately pinpointed his location within a 3-meter-square radius. This information proved invaluable for the medics en route to the scene.

Within 15 minutes, paramedics arrived, administered pain relief to Stephen, and transported him to the nearest hospital.

The farmer, Stephen, suffered severe trauma to his pelvis and femur but is expected to recover.

Moss said he believes that the timely arrival of emergency services made all the difference. He emphasized the significance of the app's functionality, especially in areas with limited phone signal stating.

"Those three minutes I had with what3words made all the difference ... The phone signal is an area of contention. It's not great there. What3words gives you [is] something you can do offline — using three words to save your life," he said.