STARS team rescues senior lost in Smoky River area
A 75-year-old man lost in the woods at night after his vehicle became stuck in mud near the Smoky River was plucked to safety by a STARS air ambulance team more than five hours later.
The man, who had a cellphone, had gone for a “scenic drive” Monday evening when his vehicle became stuck, said Grande Prairie RCMP Wednesday.
Police were called in to help about 6:30 p.m. and although the man was unsure of his exact location, cellphone information indicated he was in the woods near the Smoky River, roughly 80 km outside of Grande Prairie, which is about 460 km northwest of Edmonton.
RCMP and a canine team along with Grande Prairie Technical Search and Rescue and STARS air ambulance then launched a search of the area.
Five hours later, at 11:30 p.m., the police dog team found the senior’s vehicle.
The STARS team then spotted the man 15 minutes later and about 1.5 kilometres away from where he’d gotten stuck.
The chopper team swooped in, landing in the area and whisking the man to hospital in Grande Prairie to make sure he was OK.
Mounties and STARS say community partnerships helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.
“We couldn’t do what we do without the boots on the ground,” said STARS spokeswoman Fatima Khawaja.