SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A man is alive thanks to some quick thinking by members of the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, as well as a high-tech eye in the sky.

Sumner County Chief Deputy Eric Craddock walked News 2 through the tense three-minute experience.

While responding to a welfare check, deputies said they spotted a blood trail and a razor blade. The evidence led to a 50-acre cornfield filled with crops too dense to see the man.

“Everything around here is a cornfield, and this corn is probably 5 or 6 foot tall at this point, so it’s not like the deputies can just look out across the field and see the subject. This is something that would have taken quite some time to do a grid search for,” Craddock said.

Quick on their feet, authorities launched the drone. Within minutes, they found their guy.

“What you see here is the subject located in the middle of a cornfield that the drone pilot has identified, and he’ll pan out in just a moment. You’ll see the deputies over here on the right-hand side of the screen start getting directed towards the subject so they can provide life-saving care,” Craddock explained as he moved his hand around the computer screen showing the drone footage.

Officials said the man survived the ordeal, adding that they will likely use the drone in future operations.

“The calls for service are only going to increase, so tools like this drone that make us more efficient and able to make a quicker response, are invaluable,” said Craddock.

First responders reportedly use drones for missing children, runaways, Silver Alerts, and individuals inflicting harm.