Flashlight leads to stranded motorist’s rescue in backcountry of California’s Los Padres National Forest
The man spent four days stuck in the forest before deputies came to his rescue.
By Cindy Von Quednow, CNN
(CNN) — An Arizona man was rescued after spending days stranded in the cold backcountry of California’s Los Padres National Forest, thanks to the dim light of his flashlight and the keen eyes of a first responder who was rescuing someone else.
The 65-year-old motorist was rescued earlier this week, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday.
On Tuesday, deputies at the sheriff’s station in Lockwood Valley received a call about a motorist who was locked behind a winter gate in the Grande Valley area, the sheriff’s office explained in the news release. A deputy and a dispatcher responded and let the motorist out of the closed area.
The officials searched the area after the motorist told them there were more vehicles behind the gate.
“About 10 miles away from the highway, the dispatcher noticed a faint light in the distance and pointed it out to the deputy. They drove toward the source and discovered it was a flashlight being held by a 65-year-old male subject,” the news release says.
The man, identified as Brent Lendriet, of Phoenix, Arizona, was wearing wet clothing and looked malnourished, officials said. He told the responders that he drove his vehicle around the locked gate four days earlier and ended up getting stuck.
The responders treated Lendriet and got him out of the area to a safe location, the sheriff’s office said. He was eventually escorted back to his vehicle and deputies helped him get it back onto the highway.
“Were it not for the attention of the dispatcher in spotting the light, the subject may not have survived much longer with no food, no water and the forecasted below freezing temperatures,” says the news release.
The rescue came days after California experienced strong storms, flooding and snow.
Officials reminded visitors that closed or locked gates are in place for safety and “going around them could put lives in danger.”
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