It’s not every day someone survives being stranded in the snow for almost a week. This is exactly what happened to Joe Jouret’s 81-year-old brother, who took an alternate route into Death Valley National Park due to storm closures on Highway 395. Fortunately, a search and rescue operation eventually found him alive in his Ford Focus with his hand out of the window waving for help.
His brother, who last heard from him on February 24th, reported him missing to Inyo County Search and Rescue (InyoSAR) on February 28th. Due to a winter storm, the search party had to delay until March 1st, but with the help of Caltrans District 9 and CHP, they deployed two teams of four members, and an H80 helicopter to search the area.
They managed to triangulate a signal from the individual’s cellphone to Death Valley Road, an area that was inundated with snow caused by the recent storms. After refueling, the CHP H80 crew spotted the object embedded in the snow while hovering about three feet above Jouret’s brother’s Ford Focus. A crewmember harnessed up, descended, grabbed the stranded traveler, and pulled him from the vehicle.
After being flown to Bishop Airport, Jouret’s brother was released as he only sustained minor injuries. Inyo County Sheriff’s Department reminded travelers to always be prepared for unexpected events and have a safety plan in place when traveling through the mountains. It’s a miracle this story had a happy ending for the Jouret family.
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