Photo: California HIghway Patrol
An 81-year-old man survived after getting stuck in the snow for nearly a week. On February 24, Jerry Jouret left his mountain home in Big Pine, California, to return to his house in Gardnerville, Nevada.
While the drive usually takes about three hours, Jouret hoped he could beat the impending snow storms. Unfortunately, Jouret didn't make it home before the storms and got stuck on a rural road.
As the storms dumped several feet of snow in the area, Jouret found himself stuck in a snowbank as his car was partially buried. Jouret's grandson, Christian, told CNN that his grandfather was not prepared as the snow continued to fall and the temperatures dropped into the teens overnight.
During the first few days, he was able to keep warm by starting his car periodically and running the heat. Unfortunately, after the third day, the battery died. To make matters worse, the battery died as he was rolling up the window, leaving it partially open.
Despite only having a light windbreaker, a quilt, and a bath towel, Jouret managed to keep himself warm. He survived by eating candy and croissants he had in his car and by eating the snow to stay hydrated.
On March 2, a search and rescue pilot noticed Jouret's car partially buried in the snow and could see a hand waving out the window. A rescue team was dispatched and dug Jouret out from the snow. He was transported to the hospital and released a few hours later. His grandson said that while he didn't suffer any serious injuries, the incident left him traumatized.