2 Women Found Alive in Remote, Snow-Covered Jeep After Getting Lost for 5 Days
Maine Warden Service Kimberly Pushard and Angela Bussell
Two women from Maine are recovering from a miracle escape.
On Sunday, Kimberly Pushard, 51, and Angela Bussell, 50, were found alive inside their Jeep near a remote snowmobile trail in the Maine wilderness, having been lost on the road for five days.
The friends, who both have "intellectual disabilities" according to New Hampshire State Police, set out for a trip to The Maine Mall in South Portland on Feb. 21 but got lost while trying to drive home, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Their multi-day journey then took them hundreds of miles to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and back to Maine, as authorities tried to track their location via their cellphones before they lost power.
Family members also filed a missing persons report with Topsham, Maine, police early Wednesday morning, according to the newspaper.
That same day, surveillance video at a gas station in Springfield showed the women getting fuel. They also asked the clerk at the store for directions to Interstate 95 south, reported NBC Boston 10.
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Maine Warden Service The Jeep of Kimberly Pushard and Angela Bussell near Nicatous Lake in Hancock County
Their Jeep was then spotted traveling south toward Enfield, Maine, but seemingly disappeared shortly after.
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As snow battered the area and temperatures dropped to -15 degrees by late Saturday, authorities feared the worst for the women. But on Sunday afternoon, a game warden told the Press Herald that "dumb luck" led him to search an area not previously assigned, where he stumbled upon their Jeep covered in snow.
"Those things don't always happen by chance," warden Brad Richard told the outlet. "I think [it] kind of was meant to be."
Maine Warden Service
When Richards knocked on the door of the jeep, it creaked open to reveal the two women, cold, and hungry, but alive and well. Their car had run out of gas the day before and they were without heat. Inside they also had half a bottle of frozen Mountain Dew.
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After Richard provided Pushard and Bussell with some snacks from his supplies, he told the women he needed to go back and contact other rescuers for assistance.
Pushard reportedly said, per the paper: "Well, would you hurry up?"
On Sunday afternoon, the Topsham Police Department posted the news on Facebook.
"It is with great pleasure that we announce the successful conclusion to the search for Kimberly Pushard and Angela Bussell!" the agency wrote. "Ms. Pushard and Bussell were located near Nicatous Lake in East Hancock Maine. Members of the Maine Warden Service are escorting Ms. Pushard and Bussell to awaiting medical services as this announcement is being posted."
Bussell was treated for frostbite at a local hospital before being discharged, while Pushard stayed overnight for treatment to bruises and muscle pulls, according to the Press Herald.
The outlet reported that the women told rescuers they had turned off the highway at some point and driven 15 miles off the main road before the car couldn't continue in the snow.
"They only saw that one day in those extremely cold temperatures," said Richard about Pushard and Bussell's miraculous escape. "Had they run out of gas the first day it might have been a different story."
