Man saved after being stranded for hours following motorcycle crash

By KCCI Web Staff

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    WOODWARD, Iowa (KCCI) — A Woodward man spent seven hours unconscious in a ditch after crashing his motorcycle on Highway 141 in Dallas County earlier this month.

“I remember being really cold and shivering, and that was making it harder to breathe and making the pain worse,” Jeffrey Suntken told KCCI.

Suntken doesn’t remember the June 7 crash itself, but he vividly remembers waking up in the ditch, unable to call for help. He began waving his arm to attract attention from passing cars, but it wasn’t until the early morning hours the next day that someone noticed.

“He had been waving his arm around and when I had seen that, I got a little scared, of course, because that’s not something you want to come across at 3:30 in the morning,” Oliver Garcia said.

Garcia said he was raised to help those in need and knew calling for help was the right thing to do.

Garcia’s call to 911 was the help Suntken spent hours praying for.

Suntken was taken to a hospital in Perry before being transferred by air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital, where he was diagnosed with a brain bleed and a collapsed lung.

Suntken has been trying to track down Garcia to thank him personally. Although they have not yet met, they plan to reconnect soon.

Both Suntken and Garcia emphasize the importance of paying attention to the road and taking action when something seems amiss, as it may save a life.

Suntken expressed his gratitude, saying, “It was miserable. It’s the most scared I’ve ever been in my life, and I’ve been around a little bit. But I’m thankful.”

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