Idaho residents are celebrating after an elderly woman whose car veered off the road into a nearby ravine has been found and is expected to make a full recovery. In what many are calling a miracle, the woman was left unattended for four days in the wreckage of her vehicle before government personnel found and rendered aid to the stranded motorist.
All the way back on December 5, the family of Penny Kay Clark put in a missing persons report. Four long days ticked on as the family longed for any sort of news about the 72 year old, but no word would come until December 9 when two men spotted the wreckage of a car in the same make and model as Penny drove near Map Rock Road.
The rescue attempt was far from over, however, with the car wedged between rocks and earth and a living Penny roughly 40 yards away from the vehicle, still in the ravine. Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue members were able to reach Penny after a long and arduous trek to her position and thus began the effort of returning her to the road and rendering proper aid.
Since the terrain was too difficult to traverse quickly while carrying Penny, the team decided to render aid in the ravine to stabilize the woman before beginning the daunting task of moving her to a road where she would later receive a helicopter flight for more medical attention. After two hours, the woman was on the road and being airlifted to more help.
Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue offered a statement about the rescue and the miracle that unfolded in Iowa. Donahue did not shy away from detailing how difficult the rescue was and from saying that it was “miraculous” that Penny was rescued at all, let alone in the condition that she is in.
In a statement shared by Fox News Digital, Donahue said, “This is frankly one of the most miraculous incidents that I can recall in all my years in law enforcement and it’s a true testament to the strength and fortitude of Penny Clark. The medics who evaluated her on scene believe that she had been there for at least a couple of days, and more than likely since Tuesday, when her family last had contact with her. It’s truly a miracle, and I’m hopeful that she makes a full recovery.”
Donahue made sure not to take all the credit for himself and his immediate colleagues, saying that the rescue was a “team effort” and appearing grateful that Penny was recovered safely. As for temperatures on that rocky stretch of road, they could have reached as low as 24 degrees during the ordeal.
With praise being heaped on the first responders, it also seems important to point out Penny’s incredible resilience. At the age of 72, she was able to not only survive a violent car crash into a ravine but then hang on to her health and hope that a rescue was on its way for four days in the freezing Iowa outdoors. That is one tough grandma.
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