LANE COUNTY, OR (KVAL/CNN) – An elderly Portland woman miraculously survived a terrible crash that turned into a three-day ordeal when she was stranded in her car.
Judith Ashby, who is in her 70s, fell asleep at the wheel Friday while driving home from work. The car crashed into a river bank, completely destroying the car.
Although Ashby survived the crash, that didn’t mean she was safe.
"She was invisible. You couldn't see her,” said Gus Phillips of Puddle Jumpers Towing. "Nobody could hear her call out. She was outside of cell phone service, so she couldn't get help."
Ashby couldn’t walk up the steep hill, so she was stranded in the mangled car for three and a half days until workers with the Oregon Department of Transportation came to the area.
The bridge crew found the car – with Ashby alive inside.
"Honestly, I’m so happy somebody found her because if nobody found her then she wouldn't be here," said Bridget Roth, Ashby’s daughter.
Phillips says by looking at the car’s shattered glass, torn off bumper and other damage, he would have thought no one could survive.
"Most people would be killed,” he said.
But Ashby is now safe and recovering in the hospital. She suffered a few bruises and has a slight issue breathing.
However, Ashby was traveling with two pets, one of whom unfortunately did not survive the incident. The towing company held a proper burial for the dog near the spot of the crash.
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