02/27/2019
Knowing where you are could save your life.
Winter is upon us! Here in Montana that can mean extreme temperature, even more extreme wind chills and frost bite in a matter of minutes.
I recently received a call to tow a pickup out of the snow. The information I received said it was 10 feet off the side of the road. It should have been simple enough to get there, winch the pickup back onto the road and everyone could go home happy.
That was not the case.
Here in rural Montana we are often without reliable cell service. The gentleman in the pickup was luckily able to text his brother. His brother then called for help. The problem being that the gentleman in the pickup didn’t know where he was. He did know the name of a main road he had been traveling on and he was able to name a couple of crossroads he thought he could remember. Long story short, he was traveling in the opposite direction from the town he was supposed to be going to.
A few factors came into play here. The gentleman didn’t know where he was and the messages where not relayed as accurately as they could have been.
As a child we played the telephone game where you had a group sitting in a circle. One child would
whisper to another a message. That person would then whisper the message to the next person and so on. By the time the message got back to the original messenger it was often very different than when it started. The same is the case with gentleman stuck on the side of the road, adding even more confusion to his predicament and locating him.
He had reached his brother via text, who had then called a road service provider; there were at least two people there that had been added to the loop before calling me, the tow truck operator.
The more precise you can be when sending for help, the faster help can get to you. That could mean life or death in some medical cases and with the winter conditions we have here in Montana as well.
The gentleman just 10 feet off the road had been in his vehicle since 7 am that morning. By the time I got the call it was nearly noon. I had the tow truck ready to go and headed out following the instructions I had been given I was at that location in less than 30 minutes, at 12:15 pm. The gentleman was nowhere to be found. I continued to look for the stranded man by driving every road they had mentioned as reference on my dispatch sheet. I had contacted the service provider and worked with them to try and get more information using OnStar. Around 4 pm I was notified, the local sheriff’s office had been contacted and they also began searching, without success.
Sometime in the afternoon, the gentleman left his pickup and began walking back the way he had come from. The temperature frigid. He was found by a local resident lying in the snow. Fortunately, he was alive, rushed to the hospital and is recovering from exposure.
Winter in Montana can be dangerous. Take the necessary precautions and pay attention to where you are in case you need to send for help for yourself or others.
Following these safety tips could save your life.
• Always be sure to let others know where you are going and when to expect you.
• Check road conditions and weather reports prior to leaving.
• Know which road or highway you’re on. Note mile markers or landmarks as you travel. Pay attention the small towns you pass and about what time you pass them.
• Be sure you’re in a reliable vehicle with adequate fuel to reach the next filling station.
• Check in with others as you travel.
• If you get stranded stay with your vehicle, make sure your tail pipe is cleared of any mud or snow.
• Carry a shovel and tire chains with you and make sure you know how to put the chains on if you need then. You can also carry a bag of kitty litter or sand to put down as traction.
• Have extra clothing, blankets, non-perishable food, water and matches with you. Make sure you have any medications you may need if you are delayed in your travels.
Remember, when you need help, you can request any tow company you want and there is a difference in the service you receive.
