Footprints in Snow Lead Mich. Deputies to Disoriented Driver after Crash

Deputies rescued a lost and disoriented driver who wandered into frigid Michigan woods after a car crash and then collapsed, officials say.

The 64-year-old driver, who has not been publicly identified, crashed into a tree in Porter Township on the evening of Friday, Jan. 3, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. When deputies arrived at the scene, there was nobody in the vehicle.

“During the investigation a resident nearby called and reported a male subject had been at their residence advising that he had car trouble and was cold,” the sheriff’s office said, though the driver didn’t stick around. “The subject advised that he was trying to get to a friend’s house and left walking before deputies arrived.”

The weather conditions were dangerous, with the temperature hovering around 20 degrees, worsened by high winds and heavy snow, deputies said.

Deputies started searching the area and soon spotted a set of footprints in the snow that led away from the road. They followed the tracks across a field and through a wooded area until they found the driver collapsed at the edge of a swamp, the sheriff’s office said.

The man was initially unresponsive “and lying on the ground under some brush,” deputies said.

His clothes were wet and beginning to freeze, according to deputies. When they got closer and physically touched the man, he finally responded.

“The man told Deputies that he had crashed at least 2 hrs prior and became lost while walking,” adding that he couldn’t feel his legs.

“He eventually became exhausted and laid down where they found him. He was very disoriented and showing obvious signs of hypothermia,” deputies said.

He was taken back to the road and treated by EMS.

“If the deputies had not located the footprints and followed them it is likely that the subject would have succumbed to hypothermia in the edge of the swamp,” the sheriff’s office said.

If you get into an emergency on the road in cold weather conditions, experts say you should stay with your vehicle until help arrives, and turn the engine on only periodically in order to keep warm. Also, keep a window slightly cracked while running the engine in case of carbon monoxide buildup.

If it has stopped snowing, stranded motorists should pop the hood of their vehicle so other vehicles can see help is needed.

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Visit the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) at www.mercedsunstar.com

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