Car stranded 7 days, woman dies

A car with four people apparently took a wrong turn and ended up stuck on a rough back road 60km from the highway. They were stranded for seven days before rescue.

A 911 dispatcher appears to have mishandled their call.

One of the car's occupants died, possibly of hypothermia, after walking back to the highway for help.

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Woman+dies+after+foul/2917553/story.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nati...article1538182/

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/...ub=EdmontonHome

Tragic. The woman who died made a valiant effort and is credited with saving the lives of the other woman and her children. God bless her.

Hiking that distance is no easy task for most people, I will venture to say. Would be interested to know how she was equipped for clothes, fire-making ability and water.

Yet another cautionary note that a survival situation may be around the next corner.

Thanks for the links.

To me its a gentle reminder to ensure that well packed emergency equipment in my vehicle at all times and that I always have a means to call for help when outside cell range.

It is also a reminder to have someone expect you - someone with the wits to raise the alarm if you don't.

Those women probably consider the area their home turf. You don't leave a game plan with two independent parties to go shopping, do you? Being your home turf does not prevent you from getting into trouble.

This is an odd one: it wasn't really a survival situation until AFTER the phone call.

I wonder if our Canadian compadres here on the forum could keep an eye on this and let us know what the results of the investigation are?

Sue

Yes, it is an odd one. A lot of little things went sideways, turning a nuisance situation (wrong turn, stuck car) into a fatality. And more lives could have been lost.

The first phone call to 911 was essentially a call for a tow truck, not a rescue. The tow truck never showed up, and the call was never followed up.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions. Apparently two more calls to 911 were made. How did this fail to escalate into a rescue? Miscommunication or misunderstanding? Cultural issues? Why weren't more calls made when things got desperate? Dead cell phone? And why didn't anyone report a mother and two young children missing for nearly a week? There must be more to the story.

I confess my first response was anger/frustration. This loss of life was so completely preventable. An extra $10 worth of clothing/gear per person would have made the difference. The lady who walked out would have survived and brought help for the others. But it's never that simple.

If I take anything from this, it's the importance of letting someone know where you're going and when they should sound the alarm. The other thing is a reminder that the gear in my car may be used by someone other than myself -- possibly someone with little knowledge. Maybe I need to label some stuff with suggested uses, and include tiny booklets on first aid and survival basics.

I agree this is probably their home turf, but if I disappear in my home turf for 7 days, someone would notice. Heck, unless it is school vacation, I'd think those kids' schools would have noticed!

That said, my uncle's old adage "If you've got a pair of boots you can get out" rings true here. If you're in decent shape you could walk ~36 miles (60k) fairly easily. I'm not in great shape and I can run 10k in an hour.

I'll note, doing a little math in my head, I figure over a muddy road I might be able to sustain 20 minutes miles, so it'd be a 12 hour walk, figure with fatigue, 30 minute miles and push that up to 18 hours. 18 hours and you're talking seriously unpleasant and the need to have light/moon (maybe stars) or bivouac.

Point being, a really bad situation. I would say in a situation where I wasn't following a road, 36 miles through forest, I probably wouldn't make it!

"And why didn't anyone report a mother and two young children missing for nearly a week?"

They apparently live on a reservation, and if yours are like ours, there could be multiple answers to that question.

"Why weren't more calls made when things got desperate? Dead cell phone?"

Because the kids used the batteries talking to their friends beforehand? Left the charger at home?

roberttheiii: "If you're in decent shape you could walk ~36 miles (60k) fairly easily. I'm not in great shape and I can run 10k in an hour."

Fine. Do it for six hours. How about doing it in something other than running shoes? Sweating yet? That's too bad, because the temp is dropping to the mid-30s, and there's a 10 mph wind, which should put the windchill about 27F. Add some worry about your Mom and two kids back there in Nowhere. Speed up a little, a little sweat never hurt anyone...

When things happen, they always seem to happen at the worst time, not the best time.

Doug, I'd like to hear how this plays out, okay?

Sue

Great points, Susan. You have a knack for cutting to the chase.

I wonder how mountainous the terrain is. Big difference between hoofing it on a level plain and going up and down and up and down hills. Especially with, as you point out -- the stress of the situation.

Most people couldn't run 10k in an hour if a grizzly was on their tail.

I will not presume to be able to imagine being in such a situation. Even with all the gear, food and water I always have in my SUV (thanks in no small part to the ETS community), it would be scary and daunting. Poor thing died alone and under duress.

Something to be said for taking my mountain bikes everywhere when out of the city, which is pretty much the case now since most road trips are camp trips these days. My car gear includes multiple redundancies for making fire, but the only backup for the car is my feet, unless the bikes are along.

Dagny:

The terrain in the area is fairly flat, however keep in mind that this time of year, it is extremely muddy on most of these northern roads. The daytime temps were in the low 40's with night temps dropping down around freezing.

Whatever caused these people to be stuck out there, the young woman who walked the 60 to 70 km ( 36 to 42 miles) over these roads then died has to be given a lot of credit for her attempt to get help. She was buried today.

Sorry to start a flame war...but for the record, I trained all winter (coldest I ran in was 22 degrees) in Vibram Five Fingers (no foot support) with a single layer of thin wool socks for foot insulation. There were also days I ran through mud (obviusly above freezing) with soaking wet feet. Sneakers would be comfy

I also KNOW I could NOT run 40 miles, but I suspect I could walk it.

I don't mean to take credit away from this woman. She did a heck of a thing. Actually, if you read my post, I conceded that in circumstances without a muddy road to follow I would almost certainly parish!

I believe I read something by Doug someplace about how a major disadvantage to people these days is never "roughing it" out at night. I think a lot about that. Sure I spend time outdoors in cold weather, but I never spend the night out, I always retreat to a nice warm house or car or sleeping bag, whatever. Thus I agree, and concede, after 6 or 12 hours of walking the exposure factor would be substantial! I know after spending 6 or 8 hours in 2 degree whether my body is whooped, and 12 hours in the 20 something area is no joy either. I may not make it in a similar situation! One never knows.

Also - Susan brings up the sweat thing.

I've broken a sweat in low temps countless times, duck hunting, skiing, running, splitting wood, changing a tire in five degree weather in the woods in the middle of the night, pushing aluminum boats across frozen swamps, etc. and I've never sustained some life ending chill as a result. I have gotten a little chill, and then opened up or removed whatever jacket I'm wearing to let some steam out. I think this is because, as I mentioned, at some point I go inside, be it 5 minutes later or 12 hours later. I also rarely venture out with a cotton base layer, though I have, and it didn't end me, but I expect wicking layers help. I guess the whole sweating and freezing to death thing happens over longer periods? Something I admittedly don't know anything about!

R

As long as you're moving you're fine - assuming your clothes are not totally absurdly inadequate for the weather.

The trouble is that when you stop it is virtually impossible to keep warm without external heat (fire) or insulation (sleeping bag). If you're wet or damp you chill faster. Wearing wool pushes the envelope, but does not reverse the laws of physics: If you're dressed for moving you WILL be cold when you stop. Just rest long enough and you start to chill.

I have never tried sloshing through mud for 12 hours, but I guess I would be pretty hard pressed for a little rest & rehydration, eating about half a cow and sleeping 16 hours. OK, I guess I COULD manage without the two lasts items if I really had to, but not rest & rehydration. Those are not optional items.

Thank you for that link, Teslin. According to the article the car went off the road.


"...their car veered off into a slough while navigating short cuts through backroads. Canepotatoe ventured out looking for help after the 911 calls were made."

Here's one more link. A few more details, but nothing about what the lady was wearing. http://www.630ched.com/News/National/Article.aspx?id=206097

Without knowing more about her clothing and level of fitness, it's hard to make any useful comment. I would only speculate that she may well have survived with clothing that was better suited to the situation.

She certainly was a tough lady. 60-70 km in mud, in that temperature range, without food and suitable clothing, is a recipe for misery. And tragedy.

In a situation like that, it's pretty easy to get wet from a slip and fall, a light rain shower, a bit of sweat, and even falling dew/frost. Combined with inadequate clothing, lack of food, stress and exhaustion, and you have a cascade effect. Hypothermia can sneak up on the unwary pretty darn quick.

Why wasn't any family looking for them?

"...walked 60 kilometres through boot-sucking mud before collapsing on the side of the road and dying of exposure."


Sounds awful.

"...a subsequent call came in to the operations centre that diverted (his) attention.."

I have the feeling that's going to be the bottom line here.

"Why wasn't any family looking for them?"

They weren't where they were supposed to be, and the whole area was very remote. The people who live on reservations tend not to be all that loaded up with good vehicles and lots of money for gas. And the sociological problems on reservations could have caused most of the people there to not even be aware they were gone.

As others here have said, when things go bad, it's usually multiple facets of it that go bad that causes life/death situations, and this was one of them. If they hadn't gotten onto the wrong road, if they hadn't slide off the road, if the cell coverage and cell phone conditions had been better, if the weather had been better, if the dispatcher had been having a slow day and been able to focus more on their situation, etc.

When things go to 'ell, the domino-effect can be a killer.

Sue

As far as blaming 911, I would need more info. From what i read they got a call, "I'm stuck in the mud I need a tow truck ", and the call is dropped. So the question is did they send one?

From what I know of working within the 911 system for over 20 years, but in an urban area, thats not going to get a emergency responce, and around here they might tell you call AAA......

and if they call a tow truck,911 is not going to follow up on it.

Out in the sticks ok, they may need more help, but all they asked for was a tow.

Now from covering two expressways, I can say with certinty that most who call 911 have no idea where they are ! Most accidents will not be at the location we're first given. It'll be 2-3 exits from the one they tell us. They say east bound 490, when they'll be west bound .

Its SOP for us to have the trucks each go a differant way in the hopes one of us will find it, and this is in the 3rd largest city in NYS. Out in the wilderness I can only imagine trying to find someone.

I think it should be pointed out that the distance to cover was just under 1.5 marathons. Even if you're in top shape, I'm pretty sure that's a stretch for everyone who hasn't tried it before under "controlled" conditions.

I just hope everyone here can run 5 miles under "controlled" conditions. I'd define controlled conditions as start running, don't stop until you've ran 5 miles, do it in less than an hour, and do it anywhere from 25 degrees to 90 degrees F in shorts, a tshirt, and a hoodie when you want it. I think if you can, you'd be impressed with the ground you can cover in a pinch, not running, but at a slow walk.

I'm sure someone is going to come on here and rant about how my scenario has sneakers in it or something, but isn't that what we're all "equipped" for to have a pair of sneakers, boots, etc, when we need them? I suppose my point is, all the equipment in the world won't help that much if you're in terrible shape.

Disclaimer - I'm in bad shape, but I can run 5 miles.

How old are you, robertheiii ?

Sue

I'm 27, but I know plenty of people in their 50s who can run further than I can. One guy I know is in his late 40s or early 50s, just had knee surgery (sometime between now and February of this year) and is back up to 9 miles. I've never run 9 miles! In fact, if I'm honest, I couldn't run a mile October 1st 2009, but over the last six months I've corrected that. I'm still over weight and could certainly be in better shape, but at some point I said to myself that all the gear in the world is not going to help if I can't move a mile on foot.

I just pick five as a base level because it is an achievable goal at which point I think that if you just allow yourself to walk you could go a lot further in a pinch.

Also, my mother is in her 50s and through a lot of self determination and a little bit of encouragement from me she can now run over 3 miles!

Point being, I don't think age has to be a factor. Now if you're disabled, that's different, and probably unfortunate for you in a bad situation. If you're just lazy and/or fat, I have little sympathy for you, particularly because I'm fat I'm just a little less lazy than I was six months ago.