Oct 10, 2008 9:43 am US/Eastern
Woman Survives After Being Trapped In Car For Days
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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A young woman was trapped for two days in her Jeep after crashing down a ravine.
CBS
It's an incredible story of survival. A young woman was trapped for two days in her Jeep after crashing down a ravine.
Suzanne Collins spoke with her family who led the desperate search.
Rose Rice has a head injury and broken bones, but she is expected to recover.
It's a steep curve right near the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania. After watching a Ravens game with friends last week, 22-year-old Rose Rice lost control going home. She sailed over the embankment, hit a tree and became trapped in her overturned Jeep 40 feet below. Her parents got a call when she didn't show up for work the next day.
"Something wasn't right. I just knew. It's so unlike my daughter; she's always in touch. None of her friends had heard from her," said her mother, Trish Demarest.
The Baltimore family enlisted friends and coworkers at the Peach Bottom Inn. They canvassed all the roads around Delta, Pa., which is right at the Maryland border.
"Everyone kinda went into shock. Everyone in her family started driving the route, 'cause there's only one way to get to her house and people started walking it when driving wasn't enough," said co-worker Nick Griffith.
Two days after the crash, a tow company owner who's also an EMT saw a driver stopped on the dangerous curve trying to call 911 after seeing the Jeep.
"Grabbed my gloves, went down the hill and ran to the Jeep. Found it on its side. She was trapped in it and we ripped the roof off of it," said George Seilinger, who owns George's Custom Tow.
Rose Rice was half in and half out of the Jeep, lying in a wet ravine. Her foot was trapped next to the dash. She was conscious until she was rescued.
When a rescuer found Rice in the Jeep, he says she was talking but was confused about how long she'd been trapped. According to police, it was 42 hours.
"She thought she hydroplaned in the rain and at that point, I realized it hadn't rained in two days. I had no idea they had been looking for her. I thought I came upon a wreck that just happened," Seilinger said.
The young woman was flown to a trauma center and underwent brain surgery for a burst artery. Her mother raced to the scene and got to say a few words as she was loaded in the helicopter.
"I love you and I'm so glad to see you alive and it's a blessing and a miracle," Demarest told her daughter.
She says Rice may take two months to recover, but she isn't expected to have any permanent brain damage. She also broke her hand trying to break the windshield to get out of the Jeep.
A fund has been set up for Rice. You can send donations to:
Rose's Rescue Fund
c/o Provident Bank
4806 Roland Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21210
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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