Montana motorcyclist Zachary Demoss was found alive after being missing for five days in the Idaho mountains following a crash on August 11th. The 24-year old managed to survive by drinking creek water and shouting at passing people until he was discovered. Demoss had been riding with two other individuals along Highway 12 when his companions stopped at a trailhead where they last saw his motorcycle parked. Upon realizing that Demoss hadn’t caught up with them, they waited for him to return but eventually continued on their journey, informing the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office of his disappearance the following day.
The Sheriff’s Office utilized drones, helicopters and deputies searching on foot to locate Demoss along a 99-mile stretch of road where he crashed. They also checked road condition cameras and worked with his cellphone provider in an attempt to trace his location. Despite these efforts, searchers found no sign of Demoss for several days until family friend Greg Common spotted him near a campsite on the fifth day of searching.
Demoss was conscious but severely injured, having suffered multiple broken bones, a collapsed lung and other injuries. He had been staying alive by drinking water from a nearby creek during his time stranded in the wilderness. Upon discovering Demoss, Common used an emergency satellite communicator to send out an SOS message, prompting first responders to arrive swiftly and transport him via air ambulance to receive medical care at a hospital.
Demoss’ mother, Ruth Rickenbacher, expressed her gratitude for the efforts of searchers in finding her son alive and called it a miracle on Facebook. She acknowledged that his recovery would be long but emphasized that she never stopped believing he would be found alive. Friends and family have since started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover Demoss’ extensive medical bills resulting from the accident.
