81-Year-Old Grandpa Survives By Eating Croissants & Candies While Stuck In A Snowbank For A Week

Mar 16, 2023

An 81-year-old grandfather, who drove alone from California to go home to Nevada at the height of a freak snowstorm on Feb. 24, 2023, survived almost a week after getting stuck in a snowbank by rationing his food. Before setting out for the trip, Jerry Jouret bought croissants, candies and biscotti at a local bakery and then headed for his three-hour drive along a desolated highway.

Jerry, a mathematician who used to work at NASA, was aware of the incoming snowstorm but thought he could beat it and make it home safely. However, within 30 minutes of his drive, he got into a minor road mishap and steered his SUV on a snowbank somewhere around the Gilbert Pass. 

Weather reports that day indicated that a slow-moving snowstorm would deliver Los Angeles' first blizzard in 30 years. Even residents in the San Francisco Bay Area woke up to a rare thick pile of snow amid a record-breaking cold temperature. Several motorists, just like Jerry, were also stranded on the road. Houses were buried in the snow, and the power was out for most of California.

The unusual weather prompted the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to shut down major highways and the Grapevine mountain stretch. Despite the weather warning, Jerry wore just a light windbreaker that would not keep him warm, although he had towels and blankets in his car.

Days after Jerry left California, his family reported him missing to the police. The CHP and the Air Rescue pilots, along with the Inyo County Search and Rescue teams, planned a rescue mission, but they could not deploy until March 2, 2023, because of the nasty weather.

Christian Jouret, the elder man's grandson, was worried about his grandfather getting stuck in the snow as he had nothing else to keep him warm, and he did not have "a whole lot of meat on his bone." However, he told CNN that his grandfather was "a very smart man" who knew exactly what to do to stay alive. 

Aside from rationing his croissants, candies and biscotti, Jerry ate the snow on his car's windows. He tried to conserve what was left of his car's gas and battery power by only turning it on for a period at a time so he could stay warm. By the third day, however, his car's power died. 

Six days after he was reported missing, the rescue team was able to locate a ping coming from his cellphone that helped narrow down the search. Finally, a CHP helicopter spotted the old man's car, which was partly buried in the snow and was initially mistaken for a huge rock.

Fortunately, they saw that Jerry was waving his hands through his car's window. He was taken to the nearest hospital for a medical evaluation and was discharged that same day because he had no symptoms of hypothermia. 

“The nurses were in shock at how well his vitals were," Christian said. 

Although the octagenarian is recovering better than expected, he admitted that the ordeal left him traumatized. Joe Jouret, Jerry's brother, believed that what happened was a miracle because the rescuers almost couldn't find him.

"He was smiling all the way back to the airport," Joe told Patch. "He was happy to get out of that situation." 

Someone was definitely looking out for Jerry Jouret while he was stuck in that snowbank! He's certainly lucky to be alive and even luckier for having food with him! What can you say about his ordeal? If you love this story, tell your friends or family about it!