A photographer who quit his job as an accountant to travel the world is now fighting for his life after he fell 200 feet down a cliff in Portugal.

Kyle Quin Schrock, 36, from San Diego, California, was hiking in Madeira on October 11 when his family said the trail suddenly crumbled beneath him and he plummeted to the ground.

‘I thought it was my death,’ the renowned photographer recounted in a video posted to Instagram as he lay in a hospital bed with visible lacerations across his face and a breathing apparatus hanging from his neck.

‘But eventually [I] got caught on a piece of grass, like a little bush. [It] did not feel strong enough for me to get caught on, I was very surprised,’ Schrock continued.

As he then hung over an abyss, the photographer said he heard a voice – and looked up to see someone in a helicopter who told him that he could see him and that help was on the way. 

‘And that was the best news I could ever get,’ Schrock said, after pausing to put his oxygen mask back on.

The dazed adventurer went on to tell his 1.3 million Instagram followers how it ‘felt like a really precarious situation,’ but soon, rescuers showed up and rushed him to a local hospital.

‘Life has stayed so still since I got here,’ he lamented in the video posted last week. ‘I feel like I’ve been in a weird daze, really struggling to maintain any normalcy.

‘I’m in extreme amounts of pain, my back is broken, my ribs are broken, my sternum is broken,’ Schrock then revealed as he grunted in pain.

Kyle Quin Schrock, 36, from San Diego, California, is fighting for his life after he fell 200 feet down a cliff while hiking in Portugal

Schrock had quit his job as an accountant to explore and photograph the world. Source: Kyle Quin Schrock / Facebook

‘But I wanted to give you guys an update – I am alive, I’m grateful to be alive, grateful to have friends that called the life flight for me, they did an awesome job.’ 

Schrock then concluded the brief message by vowing to ‘get back out there and enjoy life again.

‘But for now, I’ll be here,’ he said.

The photographer shared the video with the caption: ‘Hope you don’t mind an intermission from the beauty, but I’ve experienced Earth’s Fury over the past few days.’ 

An online fundraiser has now been set up to support the adventurer, noting that he has ‘traversed the world 10x over.’ 

‘He has a long road to recovery with travel assistance, rehabilitation and further medical needs in the USA,’ his sister-in-law Tara Schrock said. ‘He will also not be able to work for months.’

It is unclear whether Schrock has health insurance, but as of Sunday evening, good Samaritans have donated nearly $12,900 to aid in his recovery.

Schrock previously told the Daily Mail how he decided to give up his life as an accountant to go explore the world. Source: GoFundMe

He will require additional care when he is back in the United States, his sister-in-law noted in an online fundraiser. Source: GoFundMe

The devastating fall comes years after Schrock first decided to give up his life as an accountant to go explore the world.

He had originally planned to go on a short road trip to satisfy his traveling urges but loved the lifestyle so much that he never returned as his photography attracted numerous brand partners.

‘I was an accountant who spent my days dreaming of adventure,’ Schrock previously told the Daily Mail. 

‘Eventually, all the daydreaming convinced me that if I never got out and traveled I would regret it.’

‘I initially planned a six-month road trip to get the travel bug out of me, but it turns out that was just the beginning.’

‘Through photography and social media, I was able to gain a following and eventually attract some brands who wanted to work with me.’

In his video message, Schrock vowed to ‘get back out there and enjoy life again.’ Source: Kyle Quin Schrock / Facebook

Schrock’s extensive photos of his global travels (like the one pictured) have amassed 1.3 million followers on Instagram. Source: GoFundMe

Schrock’s formative years helped bring forth his passion for the outdoors and adventure – leading him to take the road trip that would change his life.

‘I grew up in a city in Southern California and spent most of my days surfing and skating,’ he said.

‘I then moved to Hawaii to attend college and it was here that I really fell in love with hiking and camping in nature.’

Schrock encouraged anyone who wants to try the traveling lifestyle to do so as it has allowed him to capture some amazing moments. 

‘I’d definitely recommend this lifestyle to anyone and to any budding photographers I’d encourage them to strive to capture different angles and get a unique style,’ he said. 

‘Be consistent and most importantly make as many like-minded friends as possible.’