A 53-year-old has survived six days in rough terrain in Arizona after she lost control of her vehicle on October 12. Her car careened off the road and then became lodged in a tree. Unable to travel due to her weakened state, the woman stayed close to her vehicle while she waited patiently for help to arrive.
The woman had apparently been driving on U.S. Route 60 near Wickenburg, which is approximately 65 miles northwest of Phoenix, according to Fox News . After losing control of her vehicle, the car smashed through a fence and dropped 50 feet before becoming stuck in a mesquite tree. And, there it stayed for six days until the Department of Transportation workers came to the rescue.
According to the statement released by the Department of Public Safety , Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) maintenance crew, along with a rancher who was trying to corral a cow in the area, discovered the damaged fence. From the roadside, the mangled vehicle could be seen still stuck in the tree.
“Trooper Caleb Hiegel, ADOT road maintenance crew members Zach Moralez and Josh Miller, and rancher Dave Moralez searched the car and did not locate anyone,” the official statement reads.
A woman survived for six days in the Arizona desert after crashing her car. Highway workers spotted a damaged fence and some footprints, leading to her rescue. https://t.co/c11bcnPc3K
— AP Climate (@AP_Climate) October 31, 2018
The group then followed human tracks leading from the car and the woman was eventually located near the Hassayampa river bed.
“Trooper Hiegel and Zach Moralez followed the tracks for 500 yards and discovered a severely dehydrated woman with serious injuries,” the statement said. “They began treating the woman and called for a medical helicopter.”
The injured and dehydrated woman was then airlifted to a nearby hospital.
It is reported that the woman explained to authorities that she had initially stayed in her car for the first few days after the accident. However, she eventually climbed out of the vehicle.
It is believed that the woman then planned to make the trek to nearby railway tracks in order to find help. Due to her weakened condition, the woman did not make it that far, according to authorities.
“The diligence of the ADOT crew and teamwork of everyone involved is exemplary and to be commended,” DOS Director Col. Frank Milstead said, according to the statement released on Wednesday. “Due to their outstanding efforts, this woman’s life was saved.”
It is believed that no witnesses were present when the woman lost control of her car at the start of her six-day ordeal. As yet, the identity of the woman and the extent of her injuries have not yet been released.
