‘THAT’S INGENIOUS’

Trapped Motorist Rescued After Using Drone to Call for Help

Casey Ryan kept cool as a snowdrift engulfed his truck in the Oregon forest.

A driver stuck on a remote mountain road in an area with no cell service was able to send a message calling for help by attaching his iPhone to a drone, authorities said. Casey Ryan, 37, had gone with a friend for what was planned as a short driving and hiking trip in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon in January when they came across a woman whose Mercedes had gotten stuck in snow on the road. Ryan’s pickup truck also became stuck in a snowdrift after he tried to help, leaving all three stranded about 30 miles from the nearest town. Without cell service, Ryan’s friend suggested attaching Ryan’s iPhone 13 to a drone to fly above the trees in the hope of picking up reception to send a message to his wife calling for help. “I was like, ‘That’s ingenious,’” Ryan told The Washington Post. Incredibly, the plan worked, and the three were rescued the following morning by volunteers with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. Jason Bowman, a search-and-rescue coordinator with the sheriff’s office, called the high-flying SOS message “by far the most unique way I’ve ever seen somebody call for help” in 16 years on the job.