Missing man who survived truck crash may have been trapped in vehicle for days

The uncle of a Vancouver Island man says his nephew is lucky to be alive after he was trapped in his smashed vehicle for what may have been days offthe side of a remote road.

Duncan Moffat, 23, was found badly injured in his truck, 12 metres down a steep embankment, by a hunter.

Emergency crews were called and Moffat was extracted from the vehicle using the Jaws of Life.

His family believes he had been trapped there for as long as five days and that some apples he had recently picked may have kept him alive.

In a release, SaywardRCMPconfirmed that a man had been rescued from his truck down a steep embankment off Highway 19, 11 kilometres south of Sayward, B.C.

Police said the rescued man told rescuers he was unsure how long he had been trapped. "It is believed the male could have been trapped for more than 12 hours, possibly up to a few days," the release said.

May have been trapped for 5 days

Moffat's uncle, Bill Macnab, said the last time he saw his nephew was Nov.3,whenhe hadjust finished picking apples in his dad's backyard in Sayward,a remote North Island community.

Moffat headed offto visit friends in Campbell River, and the family believes he likely left there fivedays before he was foundon Nov.12.

He was reported missing Nov. 7. Thefamily was considering rentinga helicopter to do an aerial search when itgot the call he had been found.

Macnab says Moffat was found consciousbut delirious, with several broken bones and internal injuries. He believes the apples he'd picked from his father's home kept him alive.

Father follows hunch

Macnab said Moffat'sfather followed a hunchand, after seeing an ambulance race by his home, quickly got in his car and followed it.

"Lo and behold, when he gets to the accident scene and looks over the cliff he sees his truck. Obviously, his heart fell out of his chest," he said.

Macnab saidhis nephew had been experiencing alack of direction of late, and he hoped that this could be a wake-upcall.

"I think he's had an epiphany out there.Isurely as hellhope ...he knows he has a second chance here," he said.

Moffatwas initially taken to Campbell River Hospital and later airlifted to hospital in Victoria, where he is expected to remain for three weeks.

With files fromMichael Tymchuk