Missing woman spent night trapped in flipped SUV after crash, Kentucky police say
A woman who called for help following a crash off a Kentucky interstate spent the night trapped in a wrecked SUV as first responders were unable to find her, officials said.
“The female caller was disoriented, confused and unaware exactly (where) she was at,” Shepherdsville Police Chief Rick McCubbin said at a press conference recorded by WLKY. “And of course the family had been in contact with her and was able to tell us that she appeared to be upside down.”
Police got the call about 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, though the woman is believed to have crashed about four hours before.
The woman, identified by family as 57-year-old mother Nora Thompson, had accidentally video called her daughter as she was confused, WDRB reported.
“I could see on the Facetime that she had blood on her face,” daughter Kymberly Lammers told the TV station. “The air bag had been deployed. There were branches on the windshield, and the car is facing up.”
McCubbin confirmed those details during the Nov. 9 press conference.
Police were able to ping the woman’s phone, McCubbin told local media, but it was showing a few different locations in a general area near Interstate 65. McCubbin said it was near one of the deadliest stretches of roadway in the Louisville area.
“We searched all night,” McCubbin said. Butthe overnight search was unsuccessful.
The next morning, a helicopter was used to search for the woman. It was up for less than five to 10 minutes before a first responder spotted the SUV from the air.
“That close to everything but so hidden in that small clump of trees,” McCubbin said. “You know, coming this direction you wouldn’t see it. Even on the expressway, she was too far down. It definitely took the helicopter to spot her.”
Drone footage from WHAS shows much of the area where she was found is surrounded by trees.
She was found about 11 a.m., WHAS reported, about 19 hours after the mom is believed to have crashed.
”She was trapped in her vehicle upside down,” McCubbin said. “So we really never stopped looking.”
When police were able to reach the woman, McCubbin said she was conscious and a little confused. She’s not believed to have any life-threatening injuries.
“It could have been a whole different story,” the police chief said, adding they were lucky it was a warmer night.
At the press conference, McCubbin said police believe Thompson left the roadway when she struck a lamppost, leading her to flip down into the trees.
Lammers is grateful for all who offered to help after she took to social media, WDRB reported.
“Hundreds of people are messaging me on Facebook,” she said. “It’s a wonderful thing in a horrible situation. Very heart-warming.”
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Missing woman spent night trapped in flipped SUV after crash, Kentucky police say."