A paraplegic man wrecked near Lovers Lance was rescued after a
passing motorist spotted his car
A paraplegic man trapped in his wrecked car near Lovers Lane for three days without food or water survived the ordeal after a passing motorist spotted him on Friday.
Gregory Nelson, 54, of Cameron Park, suffered severe dehydration but was treated and released from Stanford Medical Center after police found him trapped in his 2000 Buick LeSabre on Friday afternoon. Nelson had been stuck in his car after careening into a ravine alongside Highway 152 near Lovers Lane on Tuesday evening, according to the California Highway Patrol.
“He was super dehydrated,” said CHP Officer Chris Armstrong. “Another day or two and he would have been in trouble.”
Nelson, who was conscious and talking when emergency personnel found him, told police he was traveling westbound on Highway 152 at approximately 45 mph when he saw another vehicle cross over the double yellow lines into his lane last Tuesday, around 8:30pm.
Nelson said he swerved to the right to avoid colliding with the car, ran onto the dirt shoulder, lost control, crossed both lanes of traffic and flew off the opposite side of the road, according to the CHP.
While he was airborne, he began to spin counter clockwise, collided with a tree and came to rest about 30 feet below the roadway at the bottom of a steep ravine.
Armstrong said the only recollection Nelson had of the car he said ran him off the road was that it was some type of pick-up truck. The CHP is investigating the incident.
“We don’t know whether there’s another reason he crashed,” Armstrong said. “I don’t think we can take anybody’s statements at face value, so we’re looking at everything possible.”
Nelson was not injured in the collision, however, the electrical system of the car was not functional due to the crash so he couldn’t use his horn or turn on the lights, and he did not have a cell phone to call for help, Armstrong said.
Because he is a paraplegic, Nelson was unable to extricate himself from the wreckage and he remained trapped inside his car for three days without food or water, and Armstrong said there were no calls to 911 in that time frame regarding a vehicle in that location.
However, on Friday around 2:30pm, a Bakersfield resident sitting in stop-and-go traffic happened to look down the ravine and see what looked like a car at the bottom of the embankment, surrounded by debris, Armstrong said.
“Commuter traffic ended up being a blessing this weekend,” Armstrong said. “He possibly would have gone undetected. Think of how many vehicles had driven by there in the last three days.”
The motorist flagged down a passing ambulance and paramedics were able to find and immediately attend to Nelson, Armstrong said. Nelson was flown to Stanford Medical Center, where he was treated for dehydration, Armstrong said.
Nelson was no longer a patient at Stanford Monday, and hospital personnel are not permitted to say when he was released due to state medical privacy laws. Nelson could not be reached for comment.
The CHP towed Nelson’s car, which had major damage, out of the ravine, and stored it. The incident remains under investigation.
If officers find that someone ran Nelson off the road, they could be charged with non-contact hit and run, Armstrong said.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
