A potentially tragic story had a happy ending early Wednesday when Habersham County Sheriff’s Office deputies located an elderly woman who had gone out for a walk overnight and had fallen in the woods – spending about four hours in 12-degree weather.
HABERSHAM COUNTY FIRE/EMS NEWS RELEASE:
“Family members discovered about 4:20 a.m. that a family member in her late 90s, who lives alone, got up about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday…to go for a walk.
She put on thin pants, a down puffer coat, and shoes, then went for a walk on Goshen Mountain Road in the Batesville community.
Deputies from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office and units from Habersham County Emergency Services responded to the area but remained in their vehicles while a bloodhound from Banks County Sheriff’s Office was requested to assist in the search.
Not placing other people on foot in the area helps the dog to pick up the scent needed to track without interference.
A drone from Habersham County Emergency Services also was requested.
The woman was located by Deputy Justin McClain around 5 a.m., said Sheriff’s Lt. Matt Wurtz. She had made it about 50 yards down the road and had fallen in the nearby woods and had been there for several hours.
“There was about 15 to 20 feet of grass, then woods and she was over in the wood-line,” Wurtz said. “Her pants caught his eye. He had already ridden by a couple of times. She was alert, conscious, and breathing but very cold.”
The temperature at the time was 12 degrees.
The woman, whose name is not being released, was transported by ambulance to Northeast Georgia Medical Center Habersham (to be examined by doctors).”