( October 18, 2018 ) Phoenix, AZ — A woman nearly survived after having to spend six days in the Arizona desert after her car veered off a highway. The woman survived severe injuries from the crash.
Two state transportation workers and a rancher were preoccupied by a bull they were corralling on the other side of a fence along the highway, in the town of Wickenburg. That’s when the roadway workers noticed a broken fence, stated by The Department of Public Safety.
They saw the fence was unusually damaged and went with their gut instinct to look down the hill. Sure enough the three men witnessed a mangled car entangled in a mesquite tree.
A DPS trooper and other maintenance crew members arrived, in order to help. The group made their way down the hill to see if someone was down there. After spotting a footprint near the car, the group followed the footprints and discovered a 53-year-old woman.
Zach Moralez, highway operations technician, stated that she was not able to move and lying in the fetal position.
The victim was transported to a nearby hospital just 15 minutes after being discovered. The victim was very dirty from sleeping on the ground for a few days and had endured severe facial trauma from the crash.Despite being in pain and lethargic, she was alert enough to answer most of the questions about the accident.
The woman vaguely remembered driving on U.S. 60 on Oct. 12 when she lost complete control of her car. The vehicle went through the fence and dropped 50 feet, landing in the tree.She stayed inside her car for several days before trying to walk toward some railroad tracks because she was too weak to get any help.
DPS spokesman Quentin Mehr said the woman is declining all media requests at the moment. However, DPS Director Col. Frank Milstead commended the transportation workers and the rancher. “Due to their outstanding efforts, this woman’s life was saved,” he said in a statement.