Lucky to be alive! That’s the sentiment John Friesen portrayed in his hospital bed Wednesday, a day after being rescued from a snow drift.
CTV Windsor’s Sacha Long sat down with the 71-year-old in hospital, as he continues to recover from frostbite. Friesen spent almost 24 hours trapped in his GMC Sierra pick-up truck, as temperatures dropped to the lowest the region has seen in 20 years.
“I couldn't see cause (snow) was blowing so hard. I didn't realize how deep it was,” Friesen said. “Usually on that road it blows (right) across.”
At around 4 p.m. Monday, Friesen left for his daily drive, when he turned onto East Beach Road, a road he traveled on many time before. However, when the snow drifts proved too much for his pick-up truck, Friesen got stuck. Worried where her husband was, Friesen’s wife contacted Leamington OPP after he failed to come home.
“I was thinking how mad she was going to be,” Friesen says. “I said, how am I going to get myself out of this pickle.”
His pick-up truck doors wouldn’t budge; snared within the growing snow drift. Determined to escape, Friesen used a set of cables to smash the window, but the glass wouldn’t break.
“Once in a while you'd see a light, but it was getting dark,” he said. “I was waiting for someone to come by.”
It would take almost an entire day before Friesen would be found. When paramedics and police finally arrived on the scene, only the top portion of his truck was visible under the snow. Emergency crews had to clear away some of the snow, before smashing the window to rescue him.
“When I heard those voices, I thought oh my lord. How did I luck out?”
Friesen was rushed to Leamington District Memorial Hospital with frostbite on his fingers and toes. Doctors were able to bring his temperature up quickly and he’s now on the mend.
