Missing 82-year-old with Alzheimer’s carried to safety by Maine trooper, video shows
A missing 82-year-old with Alzheimer’s was seen on video being carried to safety by a Maine state trooper.
The man — found in a ditch by the trooper — was “suffering from severe hypothermia and frostbite,” police said in a Dec. 22 news release that included video of his rescue.
Bernard Perry wandered away from his home in Vassalboro around 5 a.m. that same day and state police began searching the snowy area on Dec. 22.
A plow truck driver told state police they saw a man walking in the area during a storm in the early morning hours, police said.
This information led trooper Tyler Harrington to find Perry in a ditch along a road in the town, according to the release.
“He pointed a general direction where he had last seen a gentleman walking. It was still dark. I shined my light off the roadway, and there Mr. Perry was,” Harrington told CBS.
“My main concern was the roads were so icy, I don’t want to slip,” he continued. “I don’t want to slip with him in my arms.”
It appeared Perry was in the ditch for more than 90 minutes during the snowstorm, Shannon Moss, a state police spokesperson, told McClatchy News via email.
The video shows Harrington carrying Perry to his cruiser to safety “as he was unable to walk,” police said.
An ambulance arrived a short time later and Perry was taken to Maine General Hospital to recover from his injuries, according to state troopers, who said they “are grateful Bernard Perry was found in a timely manner and is recuperating.”
“Any one of us, any law enforcement, any civilian would have done the exact same thing I did,” Harrington told WTKR.
“After spending a few days in the hospital Mr. Perry is now home with this wife and is expected to make a full recovery,” Moss said.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Missing 82-year-old with Alzheimer’s carried to safety by Maine trooper, video shows."
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