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  • Man rescued after months in snow-covered car

    Wow... Just wow!

    Man rescued after months in snow-covered car

    A man was pulled alive from a snowed-in car on a deserted forest road in northern Sweden where he had been stranded and without food for at least two months in freezing temperatures, police said.

    "We received word yesterday (Friday) that a person had been found in a snow-covered car deep in the woods, more than 1.5 kilometres (nearly a mile) from the main road," Ebbe Nyberg, a duty officer in the northern Vaesterbotten county, told AFP.

    A man on a snowscooter had noticed the top of the car on the deserted and snowfilled forest road, not far from the northern town of Umeaa, just south of the Arctic Circle, and after clearing off some of the snow had peered inside.

    "He saw movement and realised there was probably a person in there and called the police," Nyberg said, adding that rescue services and an ambulance that had been belted to drive on the snow had rushed to the scene.

    They were amazed at what they found: A man in his mid-40s huddled inside in a sleeping bag "in really bad shape," starving and barely able to move or speak

    Nyberg said it was unclear exactly how long the man, who is from the central Swedish town of Oerebro, had been stuck, but pointed out that the car must have been driven to the deserted spot "before it began snowing in the autumn."

    "He says himself he has been without food since December, so we think he must have got there around then, or perhaps earlier, in November," he said, pointing out that temperatures in the area have recently plunged as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit).

    "It's just amazing he's alive!"

    The man, who had not been reported missing and who has yet to say how he got stuck, appeared to have survived on nothing but snow since mid-December.

    After his rescue, he was rushed to the Norrlands University Hospital, said Nyberg, who could provide no details on his condition.
    Ego Numquam

  • #2
    Gotta call BS! Unless he was able to hunt for food, extract water, then doable.
    sigpic

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Dago View Post
      Gotta call BS! Unless he was able to hunt for food, extract water, then doable.
      AFAIK you can survive over two months on only water. Considering he probably did not engage in any physical activity (does cold also slow down the metabolism?) I can imagine this being pulled off. He probably wasn't a happy camper when they pulled him out, but I think it's within the realm of possibility.

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      • #4
        about a mount with no food, but with water, however being immobile in sub zero temps, i don't believe either the guy was there since December, or the story is not telling everything.
        "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" B. Franklin

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        • #5
          Originally posted by ace16807 View Post
          AFAIK you can survive over two months on only water. Considering he probably did not engage in any physical activity (does cold also slow down the metabolism?) I can imagine this being pulled off. He probably wasn't a happy camper when they pulled him out, but I think it's within the realm of possibility.
          If anything cold would increase metabolism as that is the only way he could have produced heat. I imagine he was pretty chunky or muscular in December. If he was a bean pole to start with he would not have made it. If the car was totally covered in snow that also helped him as the snow would have insulated him from sub zero temps. I would like to hear the rest of the story though.
          Removing a single turd from the cesspool doesn't make any difference.

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          • #6
            If true,which is dubious, all I can say it's retard luck.The car was 20 minutes relaxed walking from the road,which even in remote parts of Sweden must see at least a forrest ranger at least once a week.With legs broken,it's still doable by crawling.A navy SEAL in 2005 crawled 8miles, IIRC, in Afghan mountains to friendly villagers,while hunted by the enemy.

            This man had wood,gasoline and even rubber to make smoke observable from vast distances.

            It might be a medical story,but a survival story ain't.
            Those who know don't speak
            He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Mihais View Post
              If true,which is dubious, all I can say it's retard luck.The car was 20 minutes relaxed walking from the road,which even in remote parts of Sweden must see at least a forrest ranger at least once a week.With legs broken,it's still doable by crawling.A navy SEAL in 2005 crawled 8miles, IIRC, in Afghan mountains to friendly villagers,while hunted by the enemy.

              This man had wood,gasoline and even rubber to make smoke observable from vast distances.

              It might be a medical story,but a survival story ain't.
              He sat in his car and occasionally rolled down the window to get snow. He was an idiot for having allowed himself to be buried in snow in the first place.

              Having noted that he was buried under snow, perhaps he wasn't so cold. He has a sleeping bag, probably some winter clothing, buried under snow thus keeping him relatively insulated from the environment and in a car which keeps him dry. Temperatures in the car were probably fairly constant at a survivable level.

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              • #8
                The thing that makes it so hard to believe is "why" - it makes no sense at all.
                sigpic"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
                If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children."

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                • #9
                  He encountered a snow storm, his car got stuck... he stayed in car (what else he could have done?) and got stuck himself. I do not know the region in this case, but I know that in Scandinavian mountains one can get well over a meter of snow in one snowstorm. Västerbotten borders the mountains nevertheless and according to Swedish weather forecast services they are right now having regional snowfall that could be up to 70 cm during 24 hours...

                  This is what it can look like on Norwegian side of the mountains:



                  A friend of mine has witnessed a snow storm that brought almost two metres of snow during one night in Norway.

                  In any case, considering the fact that he did not dig himself out, I think that he was either an idiot or simply too fat to get out via the window (which would also explain part of his ability to survive). A person with significant amount of extra weight shouldnt have trouble to survive for two months if the water supply is available and the physical activity is low.
                  Last edited by mustavaris; 19 Feb 12,, 22:09.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by mustavaris View Post
                    He encountered a snow storm, his car got stuck... he stayed in car (what else he could have done?) and got stuck himself. I do not know the region in this case, but I know that in Scandinavian mountains one can get well over a meter of snow in one snowstorm. Västerbotten borders the mountains nevertheless and according to Swedish weather forecast services they are right now having regional snowfall that could be up to 70 cm during 24 hours...

                    This is what it can look like on Norwegian side of the mountains? What if 4 meters drop,



                    A friend of mine has witnessed a snow storm that brought almost two metres of snow during one night in Norway.

                    In any case, considering the fact that he did not dig himself out, I think that he was either an idiot or simply too fat to get out via the window (which would also explain part of his ability to survive). A person with significant amount of extra weight shouldnt have trouble to survive for two months if the water supply is available and the physical activity is low.
                    You got any pictures of those snow plow vehicles they use?
                    sigpic

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                    • #11
                      From an other internet newsline, they detailed the fact that the car provided an "Igloo" effect maintaining a constant temperature. Doctors have said a person can survive without food for at least a month as long as they have water (that the snow would provide). They also said that the more overweight a person is, there is more body fat to provide nourishment if a person stays calm and goes into a hibernation state. Though he may come out looking like a "survivor" of a concentration camp, at least he can be proud of the fact he can buy normal size clothing on sale.

                      It is not unusual for vehicles (or even homes) to be totally buried quickly in a snow storm The location this person was in was just a few miles south of the Arctic Circle. I have seen some photos of June Lake, California that was a beautiful snow scene showing a heavy blanket of snow around the homes and businesses. Then it was explained to us by a resident that what we were looking at as homes was actually the top floors of two-story houses.

                      Ummm, wait a second while I recheck my memory.

                      Yup, that was June Lake. But it reminded me very much of one winter we had in Milwaukee in the late 1940's.
                      Last edited by RustyBattleship; 19 Feb 12,, 22:16.
                      Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by mustavaris View Post
                        This is what it can look like on Norwegian side of the mountains:
                        Actually, that's a glacier. Solid ice, even in summer. Been there myself.

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                        • #13
                          How would one cut through a glacier, for a road? Dynamite? :)
                          sigpic

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                          • #14
                            This happens in Oregon with regularity. People try "the shortcut" through the mountains, get stuck and wait for someone to blunder along and rescue them. Others get on the logging roads which fork a hundred times and goes into loops. Once the fog rolls in your screwed if you are even a little unsure of where you are at. Sometimes those trying to walk back are the ones that die while those that stay in the car survive. Then there is my favorite. A couple followed a GPS that needed upgrading. They turned off the main road and got hopelessly lost and stuck. You would have though the gravel road pealing off the main highway and going straight up the mountain would be a clue but no. You would think the heavy ruts that only a 4X4 belongs would be a clue but no. Their mini van can go anywhere..or so they thought.

                            As for this guy a lot can play into what happened. He may be a little slow in the head. He may have gone up there wanting to die. Could have had a minor stroke early on. Could have been sick then bounced in and out of mild hypothermia. Hopefully there will be a follow up.
                            Removing a single turd from the cesspool doesn't make any difference.

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                            • #15
                              Speaking of favorites, this Alaskan dude is mine: Man survives snow drift for three days by eating FROZEN BEER | Mail Online
                              No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                              To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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