Lane County, Ore. (KVAL) – On Friday, a Portland woman was driving home from Klamath Falls when she fell asleep at the wheel and crashed off Highway 58.
The terrible crash turned into a story of survival for a woman who’s in her 70s.
The car was completely destroyed–the bumper was torn off and one side of the car looks like it’s still in the manufacturing process.
On Friday afternoon, Judith Ashby was driving this car from work in Klamath Falls back home to Portland.
That’s when she fell asleep and crashed into a river bank.
Gus Phillips works with Puddle Jumpers Towing. He said in such a crash, “Most people would be killed.”
Judith survived, but that didn’t mean she was safe.
“She was invisible you couldn’t see her,” Phillips said. “Nobody could hear her call out. She was outside of cell phone service so she couldn’t get help.”
And Judith, who’s in her seventies, couldn’t walk up the steep hill.
She was stranded in her mangled car on a river bank.
Three-and-a-half days later, the Oregon Department of Transportation came to the area.
Judith’s granddaughter, Emily Graves said, “It was by chance, really.”
ODOT’s bridge crew found the care and Judith inside–alive.
Judith’s daughter, Bridget Roth said she’s lucky. “super lucky. And honestly I’m so happy somebody found her because if nobody found her then she wouldn’t be here, just by chance really.”
After three days stranded in her car, Judith is now safe and recovering on a hospital bed.
Judith was traveling with two pets. Unfortunately, one of them did not make it out alive.
The tow truck company did have a proper burial for that dog near the spot of the crash.
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