CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — The members of Boy Scout Troop 59 in Sissonville were honored with a West Virginia Legislative Citation for helping save a stranded Kentucky man from freezing to death on Saturday.
Del. Dana Ferrell — who represents the Sissonville area — called the members of the Troop “real heroes” for saving 67-year-old Greg Painter.
‘They saved my life’: Boy Scouts save stranded Kentucky man after car gets stuck in snow
Painter said he was driving to the Cranberry Glades for a camping trip on Friday night. But on his way to the botanical area, his car got stuck in a pile of snow around 7 p.m.
“I tried to back up. Nothing happened. I tried to go forward. Nothing happened,” Painter said. “I just got back in the Jeep and thought I’d wait until daylight to find out what was going on.”
During this time, the temperatures were single digits, and it was dark out. Painter says he feared the worst. Painter was stuck, and freezing. Even his water bottles he packed turned to ice.
Painter says he waited until sunrise, then abandoned his car and set off on foot, hoping to find warmth. After a long three hours walking through a foot of snow, Painter found the Boy Scouts camping.