Advertisement

Vancouver Island man shares story of being trapped inside truck for five days

Click to play video: 'Survivor shares story of being trapped for days'
Survivor shares story of being trapped for days
WATCH: A man who survived five days trapped in his wrecked truck is finally talking about his brush with death. Kylie Stanton spoke to him about what kept him alive, and the stroke of pure luck that led to his rescue – Dec 11, 2018

A month after a B.C. man spent nearly a week trapped inside a truck off a Vancouver Island logging road, he is well enough to tell his story.

Duncan Moffat disappeared in early November after leaving the community of Sayward in his dad’s pickup truck.

“Unfortunately, I fell asleep,” Moffat said from his wheelchair at Victoria General Hospital. “Drove off the road. It was a 40- to 50-foot embankment.”

That’s where the 23-year-old would stay, drifting in and out of consciousness in what he describes as a “dream-like” state. He managed to survive on a jug of Gatorade and crates of apples he had in the vehicle.

Story continues below advertisement

A hunter passing by happened to spot the wreckage from above and called 911. The harrowing rescue took several hours, as rescuers needed the Jaws of Life to cut away the drivers’ side of the vehicle.

“We waited for the ambulance together, and it was honestly like the best moment,” Moffat said.

WATCH: (Aired Nov. 15, 2018) Vancouver Island man found after spending five days trapped in vehicle

Click to play video: 'Vancouver Island man found after spending five days trapped in vehicle'
Vancouver Island man found after spending five days trapped in vehicle

“Just having somebody to chat with and everything, it really calmed me down and made me realize I was going to get out of this.”

Moffat has yet to thank the hunter in person, but plans to as soon as he’s well enough to leave the hospital. That could be another couple of months. Then, there’s likely a year of rehabilitation.

Story continues below advertisement

“I broke my femur, fractured my shoulder scapula, I fractured three ribs,” he said.

“It’s been interesting, dealing with all the wounds.”

Moffat says his recovery hardly compares to those days spent trapped in his vehicle in the woods, where he came to know [and] understand the power of human will, firsthand. It’s a lesson he’s holding onto.
“It’s definitely been a pivotal moment for me in my life — definitely changed me,” he said. “[I] will not give up, that’s for sure.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices