ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. -- — Saturday and Sunday night don't seem that cold after the week we just went through.
However, think about this; your normal body temperature is right around 98 degrees. Hypothermia can start when your body gets three degrees cooler at 95 degrees, making it pretty dangerous if you have to wait for help outside at a car wreck for about ten hours overnight.
Things aren't always as they seem.
"The person who called initially told me that the driver of the vehicle was confused, unsteady on his feet -- seemed to be impaired," said Master Trooper, Danny Burgess.
"He had one shoe on, one shoe off -- pants were soaking wet and dripping, his shirt was wet," continued Burgess.
It turns out the 88 year old man, soaking wet, and found in a creek wasn't impaired. He was stuck for around 10 hours in the cold creek.
"A truck had backed, actually backed into a kind of a bridge and a driveway and dropped one of the tires off just over a creek. Once one of the tires dropped off he was unable to get the vehicle to move anymore it appeared that he stepped out walked around to the back of the vehicle and actually fell off the bridge a short distance down into the creek. That's where he apparently was stuck during the night," said Burgess.
You read that right. The man was stuck all night long.
"He did remember laying down in the ditch in the snow and he remembered it raining on him for a long period of time. He tried to sleep, but wasn't able to because of the rain on him," Master Trooper Burgess describes what the night was like for the man.
Two men though, were able to save the day.
Master Trooper Danny Burgess, and Rockingham County Sheriff's Officer Corporal Cliff Vaughn.
"It's nice to have a good experience and get someone help. Get them to where somebody can help them and where it's warm," said Corporal Vaughn.
Proving this 88 year old man, wasn't the only one who had a warm heart, after a cold morning.
"This is a different side of law enforcement, a side where we get to go home and say we helped someone, and if we had not been able to respond to this, or someone hadn't called in time it could have been a much worse situation," said Burgess.
"It feels good to know that he will be safe and at home instead of being in a cold creek all night. It feels good that he is safe and at home," said Vaughn.
The man was transported to a local hospital on Sunday morning to warm up.