HIGHLAND, NY — On the evening of March 1, a Highland resident contacted Ulster County 911 to report her 60-year-old father had walked away from her residence in Sunday’s snow storm after a family dispute. The father had been drinking and was not dressed for the elements when he left her house three hours earlier. Ulster County 911 was able to contact the man via cell phone, but communication was difficult as hypothermia had set in and the man became more confused, lapsing in and out of consciousness.

After nearly an hour of searching the area, New York State Troopers were able to use a nearby radio tower and sirens to help the man triangulate his location. Although the man had stopped communicating with 911 at some point, troopers were able to spot the light from his cell phone to ultimately locate him. Leaning against a tree and unable to move, the man was located standing in thigh-deep snow.

Upon arriving at a local hospital for treatment of hypothermia and frostbite, the man’s core temperature was found to be 80 degrees. The man is recovering slowly and the severity of the frostbite is still being determined. New York State Police said, “The actions of the troopers and other law enforcement personnel on this case most assuredly saved this man’s life.”