Blinded by headlights, driver veers into creek, sleeps overnight in trunk before rescue
An 83-year-old man was rescued Saturday morning from a creek at the bottom of a 25-foot slope
By FOX 12 Staff and Soyoung Kim
Click here for updates on this story
COWLITZ COUNTY, Washington (KPTV) — An 83-year-old man was rescued Saturday morning from a creek at the bottom of a 25-foot slope, after spending the night in his car’s trunk in Cowlitz County.
Cowlitz County Fire & Rescue 2 said the 83-year-old man drove off North Goble Creek Road at about 8:30 p.m. Friday. He was driving home when another car turned the corner, blinding him with the headlights. The distraction caused him to swerve off the side of the road.
Neighbors said roads are dark and narrow in this rural area of southwest Washington.
“No street lights here,” a neighbor said. “Kind of a two-land road, but it’s kind of small, very windy.”
The man’s car came to rest partially in a creek bed with water coming inside.
“His horn was submerged underneath the water, as was the cab of his vehicle,” said Lt. Kurt Stich with Cowlitz County Fire & Rescue 2.
The man could not find his cell phone and could not get out of his vehicle. He made his way to the trunk of his car and slept there the rest of the night.
At about 6:30 a.m., he finally found his cell phone when it started beeping with a low batter alert. He then called 911 for help.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
