So you’re stuck in snow deep in the Oregon forest with no cell service. But you have a drone and a burning desire to avoid freezing to death. What do you do?
An unidentified motorist in that predicament last week decided to write a text message seeking help on his cell phone, attached it to a drone and flew it to higher elevation so it could connect to a cell tower, according to the Daily Mail. With his vehicle hopelessly stuck in the vastness of the Willamette National Forest, the man wrote out a text message to a friend giving his exact location. Fortunately, having a drone at his disposal, the phone was strapped to the device and airlifted within range of a tower.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team (LCSOSAR), who eventually got the call from the friend, said it not only saved the motorist but led to the rescue of another survivor who had been stranded for two days in the same area.
“Of the dozens of missions we have had this winter involving a vehicle stuck in the snow,” a LCSOSAR official said, “nearly all of them were 4×4 vehicles and almost all of the drivers told us ‘I didn’t think I would get stuck.’ Instead of asking yourself whether you think you can get through a section of road, ask yourself ‘What will happen if I do get stuck’?”
The U.S. Forest Service said snow conditions in the Willamette National Forest are currently at the highest they have been this winter, the Daily Mail reported.
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