An 81-year-old man trapped in his car by a late February blizzard in California survived for a week on snow and croissants, his family said.
Jerry Jouret was driving from Big Pine, California., to Gardnerville, Nevada, on February 24, his grandson Christian told CNN. Jerry thought he could beat the coming storm, but he was wrong.
Jouret was not prepared to weather a storm, according to his grandson. He brought only a light windbreaker and a quilt to keep him warm, and his food supply consisted of croissants, sweets, and biscotti.
But when his car got stuck on a remote road just north of Death Valley National ParkJouret crouched down. He judiciously conserved fuel and the car battery, even when temperatures dropped as low as 10 degrees overnight. When he ran out of snacks, he rolled down the window and ate snow.
Jouret’s family reported her missing on February 28, four days after she left Big Pine. Weather initially limited the emergency search and rescue operation, but Inyo County first responders saw Jouret’s vehicle from a helicopter March 2
“I really think it was a miracle,” Jouret’s brother, Joe, told Patch. “(The pilot) looked down and saw what looked like a rock as he looked down…” It was (my brother’s) car. He was almost buried in the snow, but not quite. He put his hand out of the window and waved it.”
First responders picked up Jouret and took him to a hospital. He was in such amazing shape that he didn’t even stay the night.
“The nurses were shocked at how good his vital signs were,” his grandson told CNN.
