MACON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A home grocery delivery driver decided to spend a frigid night in her vehicle on an icy hill in rural Macon County after getting stuck while making deliveries during Wednesday's winter storm.
Jane Wilmoth, who delivers groceries for Walmart out of Lafayette, became stranded on Clifty Road Wednesday night while attempting to complete her final three deliveries of the day. Her all-wheel-drive Jeep Renegade slid into a ditch on the treacherous, ice-covered hill. "I had, I think 12 deliveries yesterday and I got the last 3 undone unfortunately because I got stuck here," Wilmoth said.
With temperatures plummeting and after an unsuccessful attempt at retrieving her car, Wilmoth decided to spend the night in her vehicle. "I ran my heater for about 10 minutes and my heated seats about every 90 minutes and that's how I survived overnight," Wilmoth said.
Other tow companies also attempted a recovery, but another abandoned van nearby made the process a lot more difficult.
The West Macon Rescue Squad offered Wilmoth a ride to their warming shelter early Thursday morning, but she decided to stay with her car. A responder tells NewsChannel 5 this was the first time they were notified of the incident.
Finally, around noon Thursday, Triple A Towing from Bowling Green, Kentucky, arrived to attempt the latest rescue attempt.
The extraction proved challenging. Initial attempts to pull the Jeep sideways out of the ditch using a winch were unsuccessful, with concerns that the vehicle could flip off the side of the hill if not properly controlled.
"They said if they could remove the van, they could have just gotten me out," Wilmoth said.
The Tennessee Department of Forestry arrived to assist, providing an additional chain to guide the front of the car while the towing crew aligned the back wheels. The collaborative effort finally succeeded in pulling the vehicle from the ditch.
Austin Gann from Triple A Towing and Recovery said persistence was key to the successful rescue. "You gotta find a way because somebody's got to do it. Otherwise it don't get done," Gann said.
Wilmoth expressed gratitude to her rescuers and urged others to stay home during dangerous weather conditions. "Let the weather warm up and let the sun dry up this ice a little more," Wilmoth said. "If you don't have to be out, you don't have to be out. And I'm really sorry to the lady who didn't get her kitty litter and diapers but I hope she got them another way."
The incident occurred while more than 7,000 people served by Tri-County Electric remained without power, including residents in Macon County.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@newschannel5.com.
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