US

Stranded 84-Year-Old Survives in AZ Desert for Five Days

PHOENIX (AP) — Henry Morello began to lose hope after being stranded in his car in the Arizona desert for five long days in which the 84-year-old drank windshield wiper fluid, used car mats to stay warm and read a car manual from cover to cover to pass the time.

Then, he heard a knock on a window from a hiker, and suddenly his long, painful ordeal was over.

“I just kissed him,” Morello said of the hiker. “He looked like an angel to me.”

Morello described his ordeal at a hospital news conference Tuesday as he recalled making a wrong turn while driving home Feb. 7 from a restaurant and ending up stuck in the desert. His car and cell phone battery soon went dead as rescuers looked for him.

Morello said he became stranded when — realizing he made a wrong turn — made a U-turn and ended up in a ditch.

He tried to crawl out of the car but did not get too far and returned. He ripped a chrome piece from his car and put it on the roof, hoping someone would see the reflection.

Overnight temperatures the week he was missing were in the upper 30s to the mid-40s, the National Weather Service said.

The hikers who found him Saturday morning weren’t identified at the news conference, but Jim Sheehan, a search-and-rescue leader, said they knew of the missing man.

“Nobody ever gave up” in the search, said Sheehan, who was on a search plane when he got a call saying Morello had been found.

Morello is a patient at John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix, where doctors said he arrived in good condition considering what he’d been through. A diabetic, Morello, will stay in the hospital a few days while doctors treat him for kidney damage. It wasn’t immediately clear if drinking the windshield wiper fluid had done him any harm.

Dr. Kevin Veale said initial reports were that Morello had consumed some antifreeze, which would have been much worse than wiper fluid.

Morello lives on his own but a caregiver visits daily. His family is in Chicago, but friends in Arizona kept them informed about the search.

About 100 volunteers passed out fliers and searched on the ground for Morello over four days, after authorities got word that he was missing. The efforts began Feb. 9.

Morello won’t be driving by himself for a long time, said Sheehan, who has been friends with Morello for 15 years.

And Morello said he’s learned a lesson the hard way: “I’ll never drive without water.”

Comments (19)

  • Gonzo
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 10:05am

    Bet it was a Government Motors made vehicle.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • MaggieRose
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 8:21am

    Way to go, Henry! Godspeed and full recovery!

    Report Post »  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 8:19am

    AS a “senior citizen” I can speak for our heartiness and endurance. We were not coddled growing up, and therein lies the tale. A nanny state is a killer of so many things: creativity, original thought, curiosity, courage, critical thinking, questioning, proving one’s self (physically, mentally, emotionally), of something as basic as one’s own will. A nanny state makes mindless robots of its citizens under the pretext of caring for them. A nanny state lies. Does any of this sound familiar?

    @CYKONAS ~~~ “Right on!”

    @ADNIL ~~~ Indeed!

    To younger folks, if you haven’t seen “Soylent Green” or “Logan’s Run” get them NOW and watch them. Read ANIMAL FARM and 1984. Read and study and learn your BIBLES a.s.a.p.

    WELCOME to the battle. It is the LORD’s. We just stand for HIM, old and young and those in between. GO, AMERICA! GO, GOD!!!!

    Report Post »  
    • MaggieRose
      Posted on February 16, 2011 at 8:38am

      So true, KickAGrandma… and any little kid nowdays that shows any of those traits is immediately put on Ritalin as “abnormal”

      Report Post »  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 8:10am

    .
    Old Guys Rule!!!

    My Grandpa will be 105 on Sunday. Ya’ll give it up for Frank……………

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • kickagrandma
      Posted on February 16, 2011 at 8:21am

      @SPANKDAMONKEY ~~~ Please give your grandfather a great big hug and a huge “Congratulations!” on his birthday, or even before it. It’s ok to celebrate early!!!! Good for you for celebrating his life. GOD BLESS!

      Report Post »  
    • MaggieRose
      Posted on February 16, 2011 at 8:35am

      *** Cheering *** Woohoo! Way to go, Frank!!

      Report Post »  
  • teddrunk
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 8:05am

    Imagine, under ObamaCare, he’d be too old to qualify for hospital treatment. The death panels would say he isn’t mentally competent to live. No quality of life there.

    Report Post »  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 7:29am

    .
    Old Guys Rule.

    My Grandpa turns 105 on Sunday. Ya’ll give it up for Frank.

    I can’t post all of what he says about the state of the country and the world, but it does include “going to Hell in a handbasket”………

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • Getten
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 5:34am

    Glad he’s OK but as a regular visitor to AZ, I can tell you a large number of drivers down there shouldn’t be driving.

    Report Post » Getten  
    • cykonas
      Posted on February 16, 2011 at 5:39am

      Maybe they are just trying to discourage “foreigners” from coming down there and messing up their paradise?

      Report Post » cykonas  
  • ADNIL
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 5:06am

    The strength and fortitude of the old timers I know never ceases to amaze me. I know a few of them. People were so much tougher a few generations ago. We now tend to discount and marginalize the elderly when we really should learn from them while we still can. I salute Mr. Morello’s fortitude. ROCK ON HENRY!

    Report Post »  
  • burnteye86
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 4:21am

    Everyone should travel with a 72 hour bag in their vehicle for this very reason. Bags can be made up of several different things. go online to survival websites to get a general idea of what to put in it for the season it is. It’s usually just things like a bottle of water and some dry foods, a blanket, flashlight, etc.

    Report Post » burnteye86  
  • scout n ambush
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 3:29am

    God and guts plain and simple that kind of stuff has killed younger people in better health..

    Report Post » scout n ambush  
  • walkwithme1966
    Posted on February 16, 2011 at 3:19am

    This old guy knew how to take care of himself – he stayed warm, knew what to drink, put a reflector on the roof, and kept his mind active by reading the car manual. Good for him!! http://wp.me/pYLB7-CF

    Report Post » walkwithme1966  
    • grandmaof5
      Posted on February 16, 2011 at 7:03am

      Feisty old guy! And definitely lucky that there were hikers in the area that day. Pray he makes a full recovery and gets back to all the activities he enjoys.

      Report Post »  
    • SHTFMRadio.com -- Emergency Preparedness Radio Show
      Posted on February 16, 2011 at 7:52am

      @walkwithme1966

      Exactly, the best part is this guy did what some in their prime youth could not do.
      He had heart and it shows with his attitude. I love hearing things like this.

      Report Post » SHTFMRadio.com -- Emergency Preparedness Radio Show  

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