Man Survives Six Days after crash eating Leaves and Water
A man stranded after his car plunged down a steep embankment in the Angeles National Forest survived for six days by eating leaves and drinking water from a creek, authorities said Thursday.
David J. Lavau, 67, of Lake Hughes, California, was found in a ravine a week after losing control of his car on a rural road and plunging 500 feet down an embankment into heavy brush, according to a report by the California Highway Patrol.
Lavau, who is partially disabled, told authorities that he spent the first night in his car.
“The next morning, he exited his vehicle and observed another vehicle adjacent to his own with a deceased male driver behind the wheel,” the report said. “The deceased appeared to have been there for some time.”
Authorities say they have not identified the dead driver.
The case began to unfold on September 23, when Lavau failed to return home.