After sleeping in his truck during the night in sub-zero temperatures, Tim Rutledge, 53, awoke to find his big rig’s brakes had frozen over. So he climbed under the truck to attempt to break up the ice, but as he was down there the truck sunk deeper into the snow and he was pinned underneath.
The Floridian native was trapped at an Indiana truck stop under his rig for more than 8 hours in -10 degree weather. His yells for help went unanswered among the blistering winter storm.
The cell phone is his pocket was ringing non stop, but he was unable to reach it. However, due to the vibrating ringer on his phone and the constant calls it eventually wiggled out of his pocket and fell in a position enabling him to call a dispatcher.
Once taken to the hospital, doctors said his condition was so poor that he would have likely died had he been trapped for another hour. His body temperature had dropped to 86 degrees.
So who was the mysterious person that caused his phone to drop out of his pocket and into a position to save his life? His wife.
He checks in with her every morning to let her know where he is headed and after failing to call, she called him repeatedly.