Arizona man rescued after being trapped in his car for 3 days
A man trapped in his crashed vehicle on a central Arizona mountain for three days might never have been rescued if not for a couple taking sightseeing photos, authorities said Saturday.
Jerome Police Chief Allen Muma says the 50-year-old man’s purple SUV was spotted Friday afternoon by a couple who had pulled over on a road on Mingus Mountain, about 10 miles south of Jerome.
“The big thing I want to get across is how lucky this gentleman was,” Muma said. “These people happened to stop and take a picture. Had they not, he’d be dead. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
The couple was on Allen Springs Road, which Muma described as an unimproved, dirt Forest Service road. The surrounding terrain has brush between 6 and 10 feet tall. As they started to snap photos, the woman noticed pieces of the vehicle through the mesquite trees and bushes. They went closer and saw a man inside.
The pair immediately called 911.
These people happened to stop and take a picture. Had they not, he’d be dead.
— Jerome Police Chief Allen Muma
It took multiple fire and police agencies more than an hour to get to the man and extricate him using a Jaws of Life apparatus, according to Muma. The roof of the Toyota FJ Cruiser had caved in.
The man, who lives in Cornville, was conscious enough to give paramedics information. That is when emergency responders deduced his car had rolled down the mountain three days earlier.
The couple who found the man happened to have a chainsaw, which rescuers used to help clear the terrain for a waiting helicopter.
The man was airlifted in critical condition to Verde Valley Medical Center and later transported to a hospital in Flagstaff.
He was listed in stable condition Saturday, according to Yavapai County Sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn. The sheriff’s office is investigating how the crash happened.
Muma did not know if the man had any water or food nearby. A deputy found his cellphone outside the car.
The man, whose identity has not been released, has no family so nobody reported him missing, officials said.
“If you’re going to travel off-road somewhere or even a well-traveled road ... let somebody know,” Muma said.
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