Missing senior saved by ATV riders in Alberta's Porcupine Hills
RCMP is crediting the actions of a father and son for saving the life of an elderly man who had been lost for hours in the southern Alberta wilderness.
A Calgary man and his 11-year-old son were riding their ATV in the Porcupine Hills west of Claresholm at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday when they spotted a senior who "appeared to be confused and disoriented."
The father and son rode to higher ground in search of cell phone service and lost sight of the senior.
RCMP members, including police dog services, as well as EMS, fish and wildlife officers and firefighters were deployed to the area.
As the search began, the senior, an 83-year-old Crowsnest Pass resident, was reported missing by loved ones.
Nearly two-and-a-half hours after the initial sighting, Willow Creek Emergency Services members on ATV located the senior and drove him out of the brush to an awaiting ambulance. The man was assessed before being returned to his family.
"The caller, and his 11 year old son, undoubtedly saved the missing man's life," said Cpl. Dalyn Orsten of the Claresholm RCMP in a statement. "Without their actions of calling police and assisting emergency services, the outcome could have been very different."
Investigators believe the senior had been wandering for approximately eight hours in the wilderness after his pickup truck, which has yet to be found, became stuck.
Anyone who encounters a blue 2010 Ford Ranger pickup with Alberta licence plate BZT–4787 is asked to contact local police. The truck will likely be in the East Trout Creek/Lyndon Creek area.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.