F
FLAMING PUBLIC HAIR
Guest
KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) -- A 78-year-old diabetic woman fell into a ditch and survived in the woods for four days through hail and lightning before she was rescued.
Remarkably, doctors said, Ruth Merritt suffered only a few bumps and bruises.
Merritt was reported missing by friends last Tuesday after failing to return to her home in Poughkeepsie from the Hudson Valley Mall, about 50 miles south of Albany.
Merritt lost control of her legs and tumbled into a ditch in the woods near the mall. She sprained her ankle and could not stand up. For four days and through a storm Wednesday, Merritt stayed awake and relied on her faith.
Merritt told NBC's "Today" show Monday that God "talked to me during the thunderstorm." She recalled the ditch "was kind of deep. I guess that's why they didn't find me right away."
Mall security rescued Merritt on Saturday after combing the woods for the missing woman. She was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for a sprained ankle and dehydration.
Friends were worried because Merritt did not have her medications when she disappeared. Mark Sonnenberg, a friend, said police called him to tell him Merritt was rescued.
"Thank goodness," he said. "In all the 12 years I've known her, nothing like this has ever happened to her."
Dr. Joe Christiana said Merritt, who appeared on television Monday with a breathing tube in her nose, would stay in the hospital for one or two more days.
"She has been doing extremely well," Christiana said. "She's a tough person."
Remarkably, doctors said, Ruth Merritt suffered only a few bumps and bruises.
Merritt was reported missing by friends last Tuesday after failing to return to her home in Poughkeepsie from the Hudson Valley Mall, about 50 miles south of Albany.
Merritt lost control of her legs and tumbled into a ditch in the woods near the mall. She sprained her ankle and could not stand up. For four days and through a storm Wednesday, Merritt stayed awake and relied on her faith.
Merritt told NBC's "Today" show Monday that God "talked to me during the thunderstorm." She recalled the ditch "was kind of deep. I guess that's why they didn't find me right away."
Mall security rescued Merritt on Saturday after combing the woods for the missing woman. She was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for a sprained ankle and dehydration.
Friends were worried because Merritt did not have her medications when she disappeared. Mark Sonnenberg, a friend, said police called him to tell him Merritt was rescued.
"Thank goodness," he said. "In all the 12 years I've known her, nothing like this has ever happened to her."
Dr. Joe Christiana said Merritt, who appeared on television Monday with a breathing tube in her nose, would stay in the hospital for one or two more days.
"She has been doing extremely well," Christiana said. "She's a tough person."
