A Presque Isle man who got lost Thanksgiving eve driving the woods roads between Bridgewater and Chapman was found Friday morning just in the nick of time, according to Richard Bowie, director of the Down East Emergency Medical Institute.
Justin Michaud of Presque Isle got stuck in his 2012 Kia Sorrento Wednesday and survived two nights lost in the working woodlands of central Aroostook County, Bowie said Monday.
Michaud spent the night of Thanksgiving in the cab of a front-end loader at a logging site and was found by a logging worker the next morning, Bowie said.
“He was found hypothermic. He was completely lethargic when found,” Bowie said. “It was very close. If the guy hadn’t gone to work that day, [Michaud] might not be with us.”
Michaud was apparently driving from Bridgewater to Chapman through a network of woods roads when he got stuck Wednesday, Bowie said.
Michaud called his family and crews from both the Maine Warden Service and the Down East Emergency Medical Institute began a search, with Michaud unsuccessfully attempting to provide GPS coordinates from his vehicle, Bowie said.
“He sent out GPS locations, but they couldn’t find him. Something wasn’t working because when they went to those locations, he wasn’t there,” Bowie said.
Michaud spent the first night in his vehicle, according to Bowie.
On Wednesday night and Thanksgiving, crews continued to search for him but were unsuccessful and planned another, larger search for Friday that would have included a heat-seeking drone, Bowie said.
On Thanksgiving, Michaud found a logging site near a hunting camp and slept in the cab of a front-end loader, Bowie said. Early Friday morning, a worker at the logging site found Michaud, who was taken to safety, Bowie said.
It is not clear how or where Michaud’s vehicle was stuck. As of Monday morning, the vehicle was not yet located, according to Bowie.
