A paraplegic trapped in his wrecked car near Lovers Lane for
three days without food or water survived the ordeal after a
passing motorist spotted him Friday.
Hollister – A paraplegic trapped in his wrecked car near Lovers Lane for three days without food or water survived the ordeal after a passing motorist spotted him Friday.
Gregory Nelson, 54, of Cameron Park, suffered severe dehydration but was treated and released from Stanford Medical Center after police found him trapped in his 2000 Buick LeSabre Friday. Nelson had been stuck in his car after careening into a ravine near Highway 152 at Lovers Lane on Tuesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
“He was super dehydrated,” said CHP Officer Chris Armstrong. “Another day or two and he would have been in trouble.”
Nelson, who was conscious when emergency personnel found him, told police he was traveling westbound on Highway 152 when another vehicle crossed the into his lane last Tuesday, around 8:30pm.
Nelson said he swerved to the right to avoid colliding with the car, ran onto the dirt shoulder, lost control, crossed both lanes of traffic and flew off the opposite side of the road, according to the CHP.
Armstrong said the only recollection Nelson had of the car he said ran him off the road was that it was some type of truck.
“We don’t know whether there’s another reason he crashed,” Armstrong said. “I don’t think we can take anybody’s statements at face value, so we’re looking at everything possible.”
Nelson was not injured, however, the electrical system of the car was not functional due to the crash so he couldn’t use his horn or turn on the lights, and he did not have a cell phone to call for help, Armstrong said.
Because he is a paraplegic, Nelson was unable to extricate himself and he remained trapped inside his car for three days.
However, on Friday around 2:30pm, a Bakersfield resident sitting in stop-and-go traffic happened to look down the ravine and see what looked like a car at the bottom of the embankment, surrounded by debris, Armstrong said.
“Commuter traffic ended up being a blessing this weekend,” Armstrong said. “He possibly would have gone undetected. Think of how many vehicles had driven by there in the last three days.”
The motorist flagged down a passing ambulance and paramedics were able to find and immediately attend to Nelson, Armstrong said. Nelson was flown to Stanford Medical Center, where he was treated for dehydration, Armstrong said.
Nelson could not be reached for comment.
The incident remains under investigation, however, if officers find that someone ran Nelson off the road, they could be charged with non-contact hit and run, Armstrong said.
