US News

Diabetic woman survives four days in Utah desert without food

BOULDER, Utah — A diabetic woman was recovering Monday after surviving four days with a broken leg and no food in a remote part of the Utah desert, in what cops called a “miraculous survival.”

Victoria Grover, from Wade, Maine, went out for a short hike last Tuesday in a remote part of the Utah desert but had to camp out overnight when she did not make it back to her car before dark, KSTU reported

The next day, the 59-year-old became stranded after jumping off a four-foot (1.2-meter) ledge and breaking her leg.

She managed to make a splint for her leg from a walking stick and crawled to a nearby creek for water.

Grover told the station she suffered hypothermia and hallucinations and survived by lying out in the sun during the day and staying awake during the night.

“I certainly could have died out there because I had hypothermia, and I stopped shivering,” Grover said. “I had faith I would be found — and I also by that point, I was at peace, that whatever happened would be OK.”

She added, “I’m tremendously grateful to be here.”

She was finally found by a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter Saturday morning after the Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch, where Grover was staying, called police when she failed to check out.

Police found Grover’s car rental agreement and managed to track down her car, which helped rescuers locate her.

Grover is recovering in a local hospital, where she is being treated for exposure and a broken leg.

“It’s truly a miraculous survival,” according to Ray Gardner of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Department. “If we hadn’t been able to find her car rental agreement to locate her car, we’d still be looking for her, and I feel certain she wouldn’t have survived much longer.”

To read more, go to Fox 13.