Two-year-old dog and his owner help save a man trapped in his car for hours
A man endured hours trapped in his vehicle in freezing temperatures in Lower Burrell overnight and thanks to the help of a stranger and his dog, he was rescued.
"I kind of figured, why didn't he beep the horn or make a lot of noise or something, why was he still there, but then we found out later he was fairly old, no cell phone," said Michael Tutolo, the man who called for help.
It was a scary night for an 86-year-old man after he was trapped in his vehicle for 15 hours in freezing temperatures with no phone to call for help.
This morning, Tutolo was out walking his dog when he found him and called for help.
The red Jeep was found behind Hillcrest Drive and the country club 200 yards off of the roadway.
"We saw the car and all around it was ice," he recalled. "We couldn't open the doors, it was all fogged up but he was going crazy barking so I figured somebody must be there, I thought I saw the brake light but I wasn't quite sure."
Authorities responded and they found Lawrence Conklin inside. He was responsive but showing symptoms of hypothermia.
"We utilized a stokes basket and a rope system to get him to a flat area and then we put him into a pickup truck to get him the rest of the way to the ambulance," said Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company #3 Deputy Chief Scott Gloer.
Residents in the area reported no signs of an accident that would;ve been cause for concern, but Oliver, the 2-year-old rescue mini-doodle's keen sense turned him into a hero.
"He was just barking constantly and that's what he does whenever he sees something," said Tutolo. "He hears things, animals, I don't know, but it seemed like someone was still there."
Conklin's daughter Allie Cunningham said he was on his way to visit his friend when they believe a drop in blood sugar led to the accident.
"He did tell us he was there since around 5 last night, so he was lucky his car was running for a while, but when we got there, the car was out of gas and shut off," Gloer said.
While Conklin's family said he is going to be fine, it's a reminder if you're headed out in these below-freezing temperatures and bad weather to bring emergency supplies as well as a phone if you need to call for help.
