Two feet of snow strands 77-year-old in truck with broken heater, Oregon rescuers say

A 77-year-old man was rescued after spending two days stranded in the Oregon snow in his truck with no working heater, officials said.

A search and rescue team found the man at 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, after he had been missing for two days, according to a Facebook post by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

The search began at 1:55 a.m. on Dec. 7 after the man was reported missing in the Elk Creek Road area about 30 miles west of Prospect, officials said.

The search and rescue team used a Snowcat, a tracked vehicle designed to travel through snow. They found the man “10 miles off the Elk Creek Road on National Forest Road 6640,” rescuers said.

The man got stuck in “two to three feet of snow” after attempting to turn his truck around, officials said. He spent the last two nights in his truck that didn’t have a working heater.

The man was found with mild hypothermia but in good spirits, officials said.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office urges the public to remember to prepare for the winter even if you don’t plan on driving in snow, according to the Facebook post.

Bring supplies, food, water and make sure to tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back, rescuers said.

Prospect is about 300 miles south of Portland.

This story was originally published December 8, 2022 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Two feet of snow strands 77-year-old in truck with broken heater, Oregon rescuers say."