Police say an Iowa man injured in a crash managed to crawl out of his wrecked car and start a fire to attract attention and summon help.
State Police say 38-year-old Timothy McCollum of Thurman was hurt Wednesday, January 15, 2014, when the 1993 Honda Accord he was driving went off the road and into a creek bed along 310th Street near the Mills County town of Tabor, in southwest Iowa.
The report from police says McCollum’s vehicle came to rest under a bridge where it wasn’t visible from the road.
McCollum managed to get out of his wrecked car and crawl onto the embankment, but his injuries prevented him from getting up the embankment to the road.
Police say McCollum managed to get help by starting a fire.
“A passing motorist saw the fire and then found the driver on the creek embankment,” the crash report said. The report said the wreck was reported just after 7:30 p.m.
McCollum was airlifted to a hospital in Creighton.