Nov 19, 2008 9:00 pm US/Eastern
82-Year-Old Man Survives 32 Hours In Pa. Woods
TOBYHANNA, Pa. (AP) ―
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Charles Harrison survived 32 hours in the woods after getting lost.
Pocono Record
Rescuers on Wednesday found an 82-year-old Pennsylvania man who got lost in the woods of a state park and spent 32 hours braving snow squalls and freezing temperatures.
Charles Harrison, of Mount Pocono, was conscious and alert when rescuers found him shortly before 2 a.m. in the woods of Tobyhanna State Park in the Poconos. He was flown to a Scranton hospital for treatment.
Harrison's cell phone company sent an electronic query to his phone and got the coordinates of his location. Harrison was unable to call for help because the cell signal was too weak.
"The phone company was able to get through to his phone and get coordinates. We were able to hone in on him from that," said Bill Delling of the state Bureau of Forestry.
Harrison might have been scouting spots for hunting when he got lost Monday night, officials said. He was reported missing by his daughter, and the search grew to include more than 20 people using all-terrain vehicles, a Hummer and a bloodhound. The search area spanned more than 9,000 acres.
Rescuers said Harrison was able to survive because he was bundled in warm clothes. It was 18 degrees when searchers found him.
The rescuers carried Harrison about a half-mile out of the woods to an old logging road, where he was driven to a ball field and then put on a medical helicopter.
Harrison's family released a statement praising the "tireless efforts" of police, firefighters and volunteers who joined the search.
Information from: Pocono Record,
http://www.poconorecord.com
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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