A Maine man tragically lost his life while his wife miraculously survived after they ventured into the woods in Maine for a walk and became disoriented. Fortunately, the woman was able to endure the harsh freezing temperatures, thanks to her faithful dog who provided warmth and comfort.
John Helmstadter, 82, and Pamela Helmstadter, 72, took a leisurely stroll with their dogs last Sunday in the wooded area behind their residence in Alexander, Maine.
During their leisurely walk along a series of trails, tragedy struck when they strayed from one of the paths and John Helmstadter took a fall, rendering him unable to stand. Unfortunately, neither of them had a cellphone on hand to seek help.
Pamela Helmstadter sought assistance, but according to the Maine Game Wardens, she became disoriented in the woods and was unable to find her way back home.
Pamela, along with her loyal dog, was discovered in a state of severe hypothermia but managed to remain conscious, as revealed by the Maine Game Wardens. When she was rescued, her body temperature had plummeted to 90.7 degrees. Remarkably, despite her condition, Pamela was able to provide details about the events that had transpired. Following her rescue, she was promptly taken to a hospital for further monitoring and care.
During their time lost in the woods, the couple experienced freezing temperatures as low as 26 degrees Fahrenheit at night, as reported by Accuweather.
According to Mark Latti, the communications director for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, the dog belonging to the couple played a crucial role in saving her life. Wardens discovered that the dog was extremely protective of her and would even lay on top of her chest.
Sgt. Josh Beal from the Maine Warden Service mentioned to Portland station WMTW that it seems like the dog would also cuddle up to the firefighter at night to provide warmth.
“I had given up hope of being found,” she admitted to authorities, until I heard the Warden Service Airplane circling over me five different times on Thursday.”
A concerned neighbor noticed something unusual when she brought a package from her porch into her house on Tuesday. The next day, she realized that the package was still in the same place where she had left it. To make matters worse, one of the couple’s dogs had returned home, but there was no sign of the couple or their other dog.