TheDenverChannel.com








Denver News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters
Related To Story
Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue
Crews rescue a man suffering from hypothermia several hours after he crashed down an embankment.

Man Found Wearing Boxers After Crashing Down Embankment

Illinois Driver, Suffering Severe Hypothermia, Airlifted To Denver Hospital

POSTED: 5:05 pm MST November 17, 2009
UPDATED: 6:32 am MST November 18, 2009

An Illinois man suffering from severe hypothermia was airlifted to Denver Tuesday morning after his pickup plunged down a river bank near Silverthorne.

Lake Dillon firefighters found the frigid, incoherent man wearing nothing but his boxer shorts, crouched in some willows and rocking back and forth. The man was suffering from advanced stages of hypothermia, said fire spokesman Steve Lipsher.

People suffering from advance stages of hypothermia –- a dangerous loss of body heat -- often behave irrationally and may even begin stripping off clothing, Lipsher added.

Rescuers only discovered the unidentified man because residents of a nearby house noticed that their heat had failed around 1 a.m. They didn't realize that their propane tank had been knocked down a 60-foot embankment until about 8:30 a.m. That's when residents spotted the man's red Toyota pickup at the bottom of the steep hillside above the Blue River and called 911, Lipsher said.

Crews from the Summit County Sheriff's Office search and rescue team, and an ambulance crew helped wrap the man in a heated sleeping bag, strap him on a litter and haul him up the embankment.

Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue
Rescue crews wrapped the victim in a heated sleeping bag, placed him in a litter and performed the technical rescue up the embankment.

He was then flown by Flight for Life to St. Anthony’s Central Hospital in Denver. His name and condition have not been released.

The pickup had turned off the road onto a short driveway, careened around the house and slipped between two telephone poles before slamming into the 500-gallon propane tank atop the embankment, Lipsher said.

The residents suspect the crash occurred around midnight, and somehow the freezing man survived a night when temperatures plunged to 3 degrees.

Sheriff's deputies and rescue-team members performed a search of the area after discovering what they thought were a second set of footprints leading from the crash site. No one else was found.
The following are comments from our users. Opinions expressed are neither created nor endorsed by TheDenverChannel.com. By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms of Use. To report an offensive or otherwise inappropriate comment, click the "Flag" link that appears beneath that comment. Flagging a comment will send it to our editorial staff for review.

Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Embellish an empty abode with these easy, inexpensive projects and make your home feel more like home. More

If you have aspirations of becoming a millionaire, check out these five habits that may be worth emulating. More

Negotiating a price on a new or used car is never fun. Find out from the insiders how to get the best price for you. More

Don't resign yourself to dry, dull, lifeless skin. Rediscover that healthy youthful glow with these tips. More

MyReport Network

E - News Registration focus group
  My Report Network: Tell your story on 7NEWS. Sign up to be a member of our My Report Network
Sponsored Links

MyReport Network

E - News Registration focus group
  My Report Network: Tell your story on 7NEWS. Sign up to be a member of our My Report Network

Job Searching Tips

A little extra effort can go a long way on a cover letter. Find out how you can help yourself land that interview. More