Diabetic driver rescued after four days

MONSON, Mass. – A diabetic driver survived for four days on Wheat Thins and dew after crashing his SUV into thick brush on his way home from work.

Raymond A. Vachon’s wife reported the 59-year-old missing last Tuesday when he didn’t return from his overnight security job in Springfield, Mass. He spent four days in and out of consciousness before a dog-walker heard him yelling for help Saturday morning.

Vachon later told police he had lost control of his SUV about 5 a.m. and crashed about 30 feet into brush. His leg was fractured, and Vachon, who is dependent on insulin, was unconscious.

When he regained consciousness, he was able to reach his insulin and the crackers he kept in the vehicle, but he didn’t have a cell phone to call for help and he was weak and dehydrated, his wife, Linda Vachon, said. He drank dew off leaves and the windshield, she said.

“I’m sorry to say, I was thinking of writing notes. … I was basically giving up,” Raymond Vachon told the Republican of Springfield.

Saturday morning, he tried to make it out on his own. “I had to almost tumble out of the car. I made it through two rolls. The third roll was just impossible. I was in so much pain. There was nothing left to do but scream and yell,” he said.

Roger Pikul, who lives nearby, heard him while walking his dog.

“Oh, my God, I love that guy,” Vachon said. “He’s my new best friend.”

Officer John Melnick said police had been searching for any sign of Vachon. “I’m just glad it had a happy ending,” he said.