Trapped for days beneath an overturned truck, missing Idaho man found alive
A young man who had been missing for several days was found alive beneath an overturned truck in the foothills of Idaho this week, authorities said.
Firefighters and law enforcement officials were dispatched to a remote area southeast of Idaho Falls on Monday night, after receiving a 911 call about the discovery of a rolled-over pick-up truck about a half mile off a road. The 911 caller had been searching for the 21-year-old male driver who had been missing for "several days," according to a joint press release from the Idaho Falls Fire Department and the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said the three-quarter ton vehicle had rolled down a ravine and landed on its side in a small, narrow stream bed. The driver, whose name has not been released, was partially ejected during the accident and pinned to the ground beneath the truck for days.
The man was conscious and talking to rescuers when they arrived on scene just before 8 p.m. local time, authorities said.
The road above the overturned vehicle was too narrow for larger fire engines, so a smaller rescue truck had to be sent to the scene. There was also no cell phone service and radio communication was limited in the remote area, authorities said.
Rescuers used heavy extrication equipment, as well as large airbags that were inflated under the truck, to get the man out. He was treated by medics at the scene and then flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in stable condition.
His vehicle was removed from the ravine using a large boom truck, authorities said.
