Accidents Archivi - City Roma News

By Cheri Mossburg

An elderly man survived on croissants, candy and biscotti for nearly a week alone in his car, stuck in the snow on a desolate California road.

Jerry Jouret, 81, set out from his mountain house in Big Pine, California, on Feb. 24 to return to his family home in Gardnerville, Nevada — just over three hours away in good driving conditions.

According to his grandson Christian, Jouret thought he could beat the impending snow storm. He was wrong.

During the drive, Jouret accidentally veered onto a smaller road and his SUV became stuck near Gilbert Pass, he told CNN.

Temperatures in the area dropped from the mid 30s into the teens overnight.

The mathematician and former NASA employee was ill-prepared for the weather, wearing only a light windbreaker, his grandson said. “He’s a pretty small,” Christian added. “He doesn’t have a whole lot of meat on his bones.”

A light quilt and a hotel bath towel were the only things Jouret had to keep himself warm, he said.

Described by his grandson as “a very smart man,” Jouret stayed with his car and conserved his vehicle’s gas and battery, only turning the SUV on periodically to warm up.

A helicopter pilot spotted Jerry Jouret’s car during a search mission.(California Highway Patrol) Roughly 3 feet of snow fell during the series of storms that pummeled the state over the course of the week. Many areas in California saw significant amounts of snow — an unusual occurrence for a state that’s unaccustomed to harsh winters. The dayslong brutal conditions knocked out power to thousands of homes, buried roads in snow and left many stranded, like Jouret.

Jouret survived by eating the few snacks he had in his car. He rolled down his window occasionally to eat snow.

Midway through the third day, Jouret’s car battery died while he was rolling the electric window back up, his grandson said. It remained open a few inches for the duration of his unfortunate adventure.

On February 28, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office received “a callout for a missing person,” the office said in a Facebook post.

Inyo County Search and Rescue teams planned search missions the next day, but were forced to delay due to safety concerns posed by the winter storm, according to a post from the sheriff’s office.

Then, on March 2, a cell phone ping identified by a California Highway Patrol team helped narrow the search area and once weather allowed, helicopter crews were deployed.

As one team headed to refuel the aircraft, the pilot spotted something he initially thought was a large rock. A closer look revealed a vehicle — and the pilot spotted an arm waving out of the small opening in the car window.

“Within a short period of time, they identified a vehicle partially buried in snow,” the sheriff’s office said. “The CHP crew loaded the person onboard and transported him directly to Bishop Airport for transport to medical care…The subject was discharged from the hospital later that evening.”

Jouret was only in the hospital for a few hours and showed no signs of hypothermia, his grandson said. “The nurses were in shock at how well his vitals were,” said the younger Jouret.

After leaving the hospital, Jouret was returned to his house in Big Pine. He then had to take a bus home to his wife Gardnerville as the couple’s SUV remains stuck in the snow.

Jouret told CNN he is recovering well, but says he remains traumatized by the ordeal.

Christian Jouret hopes his grandfather’s miraculous rescue serves as a warning to others about just how dangerous winter travel can be, especially when it’s not something you are used to.

Above all: “If someone gets trapped, don’t give up hope,” said Christian. “Some of us thought he was a goner. Never give up hoping. The human body is amazing for what it can endure.”

The Inyo County Search and Rescue reminded drivers to be prepared in winter weather conditions.

“If it is snowing, make sure you are prepared, don’t pass road closures and bring extra supplies with you. Or don’t travel at all and wait until roads and weather clear up,” the organization said in a Facebook post.

By COSTAS KANTOURIS and DEREK GATOPOULOS

THESSALONIKI, Greece — Emergency crews cut through the mangled remains of a passenger train on Thursday, progressing “centimeter by centimeter” in their search for the dead from a head-on collision in northern Greece that killed at least 46 people. Rail workers went on strike to protest years of underfunding they say has left the country’s train system in a dangerous state.

The passenger train and a freight train slammed into each other late Tuesday, crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots and forcing people to smash windows to escape. It was the country’s deadliest crash ever, and more than 50 people remained hospitalized, most in the central Greek city of Larissa. Six of them were in intensive care.

Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said the grim recovery effort was proceeding “centimeter by centimeter.”

“We can see that there are more (bodies) people there. Unfortunately they are in a very bad condition because of the collision,” Artopios told state television.

Cranes remove debris after a trains’ collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Rescuers using cranes and heavy machinery on Thursday searched the wreckage of trains involved in a deadly collision that sent Greece into national mourning and prompted strikes and protests over rail safety. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Pigeons stand on a platform at a train station during a strike in Athens, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Railway workers’ associations called strikes that halted national rail services and the subway in Athens on Thursday, to protest working conditions and what they describe as a lack of modernization of the Greek rail system. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Firefighters and rescuers supported by two cranes, search the wreckage after a trains collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Emergency workers are searching for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in Tempe, central Greece just before midnight Tuesday. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Firefighters and rescuers supported by two cranes, search through the wreckage after a trains collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Emergency workers are searching for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in Tempe, central Greece just before midnight Tuesday. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Firefighters collect bodies from the wreckage of a train after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Emergency workers are searching for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in Tempe, central Greece just before midnight Tuesday. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Two cranes try to remove debris from the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Emergency workers are searching for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in Tempe, central Greece just before midnight Tuesday. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Workers supported by a crane try to remove debris from the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Emergency workers are searching for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in Tempe, central Greece just before midnight Tuesday. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

Workers stand on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Emergency workers are searching for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in Tempe, central Greece just before midnight Tuesday. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

A crane removes debris as firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Emergency workers are searching for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in Tempe, central Greece just before midnight Tuesday. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

A woman lays flowers in memory of the victims of the trains’ deadly crash at the train station in the port city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Rescuers using cranes and heavy machinery on Thursday searched the wreckage of trains involved in a deadly collision that sent Greece into national mourning and prompted strikes and protests over rail safety. The sign reads “For the colleagues lost so unfairly at Tempe. We will never forget you.” (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

Flowers and candles lie, in the memory of the victims of the trains’ collision, at the train station in the port city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Rescuers using cranes and heavy machinery on Thursday searched the wreckage of trains involved in a deadly collision that sent Greece into national mourning and prompted strikes and protests over rail safety. The sign reads “For the colleagues lost so unfairly at Tempe. We will never forget you.” (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

A woman reacts at the train station, where flowers and candles lie in the memory of the victims of the collision, in the port city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Rescuers using cranes and heavy machinery on Thursday searched the wreckage of trains involved in a deadly collision that sent Greece into national mourning and prompted strikes and protests over rail safety. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

A man walks in front of the main train station during a strike in Athens, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Railway workers’ associations called strikes that halted national rail services and the subway in Athens on Thursday, to protest working conditions and what they describe as a lack of modernization of the Greek rail system. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Trains remain parked at the station during a strike in the port city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Railway workers’ associations called strikes that halted national rail services and the subway in Athens on Thursday, to protest working conditions and what they describe as a lack of modernization of the Greek rail system. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

A train remains parked at the station during a strike in the port city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Railway workers’ associations called strikes that halted national rail services and the subway in Athens on Thursday, to protest working conditions and what they describe as a lack of modernization of the Greek rail system. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

Flowers and candles lie in the memory of the victims of a deadly train crash outside a train station of Larissa city, north of Athens, Greece, Thursday, March 2, 2023. Emergency workers are searching late into the night for survivors and bodies after a passenger train and a freight train crashed head-on in Tempe, central Greece just before midnight Tuesday. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. (AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras)

WORKERS SAY TRAIN SYSTEM IS UNSAFE The cause of the crash is still not clear. A station manager arrested after the collision was charged Wednesday with multiple counts of manslaughter and causing serious physical harm through negligence, as a judicial inquiry tries to establish why the two trains were traveling in opposite directions on the same track.

Railway workers’ associations, meanwhile, called strikes, halting national rail services and the subway in Athens. They are protesting working conditions and what they described as a dangerous failure to modernize the Greek rail system due to a lack of public investment during the deep financial crisis that spanned most of the previous decade and brought Greece to the brink of bankruptcy.

Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned following the crash, his replacement tasked with setting up an independent inquiry looking into the causes of the accident.

“Responsibility will be assigned,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address late Wednesday after visiting the scene of the collision.

“We will work so that the words ‘never again’ … will not remain an empty pledge. That I promise you.”

Supporters of the strike plan to protest in central Athens later Thursday.

CRASH SURVIVOR DESCRIBES FIERY ESCAPE More than 300 people were on board the passenger train, many of them were students returning from a holiday weekend and annual Carnival celebrations around Greece.

Andreas Alikaniotis, a 20-year-old survivor of the crash, described how he and fellow students, escaped from a jack-knifed train car as fire approached, smashing windows and throwing luggage onto the ground outside to use as a makeshift landing pad.

“It was a steep drop, into a ditch,” Alikaniotis, who suffered a knee injury, told reporters from his hospital bed in Larissa.

“The lights went out. And light had came from the approaching fire and the sparks that were flying. The smoke was suffocating inside the rail car but also outside,” Alikaniotis said.

“I managed to remain calm and I was one of the few around who had not been seriously injured,” he said. “Me and my friends helped people get out.”

ZELENSKYY AND TURKEY SEND CONDOLENCES Residents in Larissa lined up to give blood, many waiting in heavy rain for more than an hour, while the city’s hotel association provided free accommodation to relatives of the crash victims and to those who traveled to the city to provide DNA samples to help police forensics experts identify bodies. Nine bodies have been identified through genetic matches so far, authorities said.

Pope Francis and European leaders sent messages of sympathy in the wake of the crash. Among them were the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, whose country is recovering from devastating earthquakes last month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent a message in Greek, writing “The people of Ukraine share the pain of the families of the victims. We wish a speedy recovery to all the injured.”

Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece.

Categoria: Accidents

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