Accident victim survives 12 hours in freezing temperatures

COLORADO SPRINGS - Twenty-one-year-old James McLaughlin of Colorado Springs will spend the next couple of weeks at Penrose Hospital recovering from multiple injuries including a fractured knee-cap, pelvis and several vertebrae.

Surrounded by family and friends, he remains upbeat, even though he knows his ski season is over. The reason for his cheerfulness - he survived 12 hours in freezing temperatures and beat amazing odds.

While driving on Gold Camp Road, McLaughlin's dog Dexter jumped into his lap, forcing him to lose control of his car. McLaughlin's car went off a 300-foot cliff and landed about 500 feet from the road.

"Then a tree hit the front of my car, causing it to go completely upside-down. Now that's where I blacked out," McLaughlin told KOAA-TV from his hospital bed at Penrose.

After being thrown through his windshield, McLaughlin eventually regained consciousness. It took McLaughlin more than 2 hours to drag himself 40 feet to his car using his arms.

"I was literally dragging my feet over 4-foot boulders," he explained to KOAA-TV. "I'm getting so cold I can't feel my arms."

When he got to his car his cell phone was ringing as friends tried to locate him, but he could not reach it. He turned his efforts toward trying to drag himself up the hill but he was unsuccessful.

The Eagle Scout, who had taught wilderness survival, admits those skills gave him the means to survive. McLaughlin says he was able to locate his survival kit containing a warm hat, mittens and lighter he used to start a fire and stay warm for a short time.

"I never really got scared 'cause I knew what I had to do in order to make it through the night. And I was fairly confident if I made it through the night I would be OK," McLaughlin said to KOAA-TV.

Finally, 12 hours after the accident hikers found him.
"I'm yelling at the top of my lungs, 'Please, somebody help me, save me!'" he told KOAA-TV.

Despite the accident, McLaughlin says he's not angry with his dog Dexter. Dexter was found by one of the hikers with minor injuries and is said to be fine.