Man remained trapped in snow-buried car for 10 hours

A 58-year-old man was rescued alive after surviving more than 10 hours in his car buried under five feet of snow in New York.

According to the details, Kevin Kresen, 58, was driving off during a snowstorm in the town of Owego when he hit a ditch and was also ‘plowed by a truck’.

 

The vehicle’s doors were blocked due to the thick snow. Meanwhile, he made a telephone call to the rescue officials and sought help.

The police launched a rescue operation soon after receiving the telephone call but it took 10 hours to reached the spot due to the bad weather conditions and blockage of roads. However, the old man had to spend 10 hours in his car in freezing temperatures.

First responders were able to narrow the call to a 5-km stretch along a river in Owego, which was covered with over 40 inches of snow.

When the responders reached the spot, they noticed Kevin’s car was almost completely covered in snow. State Police Sgt. Jason Cawley reached the spot and punched the side window of the car. When Kevin responded from inside,  the state police officer was shocked to realise he was standing almost on top of the car.

Cawley then cleared the glass and managed to dig Kevin out with the help of a passerby. He said Kevin could’ve died had he arrived at the location an hour later, AP reported.

“If he was in there for another hour his body temperature would have gone lower, and I’m convinced he wouldn’t have made it,” said Jason Cawley.

The 58-year-old suffered from frostbite and hypothermia due to excessive exposure to freezing temperatures. He was immediately taken to a hospital, where his body temperature returned to normal.