81-year-old man trapped in storm survives nearly a week on candy,
croissants (Christian Jouret, California Highway Patrol, CNN Newsource)
During a snowstorm, an 81-year-old man named Jerry Jouret survived six days alone in his car.
He was stranded while driving from his house in Big Pine, California, to his family home in Gardnerville, Nevada.
- Jouret
had last been seen on Feb. 24 before he attempted to cross into Nevada
via Highway 168 through Deep Springs Valley because Highway 395, usually
the fastest route to Gardnerville, was closed due to snow.
- He had very little to eat and only had a light windbreaker jacket, a quilt, and a bath towel to keep himself warm.
- The
local search and rescue unit was called in on Feb. 28, but the first
few rescue attempts had to be called off due to weather.
- A
helicopter pilot found Jouret's vehicle on March 2 along Death Valley
Road, a Jeep trail that branches off from Highway 168 and heads to Death
Valley National Park.
- He rolled down his car window and waved at the helicopter.
- Jouret was taken to a hospital in nearby Bishop, where he showed no signs of hypothermia, and was discharged within hours.
- The
southern Sierra Nevada and White Mountains experienced multiple
snowstorms over a week, resulting in three feet of snowfall in the
location where Jouret's car was found.
- The storms caused power outages, buried roads, and stranded many people statewide.
- Jouret's
survival serves as a reminder to always be prepared for inclement
weather and to avoid traveling during dangerous conditions.
