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Car plunges upside-down into frigid river. Driver lives to be rescued 5 hours later

The Siskiyou County sheriff's dive team works to rescue a man trapped in his upside-down car in a frigid river near Yreka, Calif.
(Cal Fire / Associated Press)

A man survived for hours trapped in his upside-down car after it plunged into a frigid Northern California river.

California Highway Patrol officers in Yreka, Calif., say 28-year-old Michael Finn breathed from a pocket of air inside his vehicle until he was rescued Wednesday — five hours after his car skidded off California 96 into the Klamath River in Siskiyou County.

Law enforcement officials said a Siskiyou County sheriff’s dive team and a tow truck pulled the car from the water.

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Finn was transported by ambulance to a hospital to be treated for exposure, authorities said.

The CHP is urging motorists to slow down when roads are icy.

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