WASHINGTON (AP) — James McCormick drove by a ravine near his Laurel, Md., home many times in the week since his 18-year-old son disappeared, oblivious to the fact that his son lay trapped below.
Yesterday, Julian McCormick stopped waiting for someone to find him in his upside down Honda Civic. Injured and dehydrated, he somehow managed to climb out of the car and up to the side of the road.
A girl riding in her mother’s car on Powder Mill Road in Beltsville spotted McCormick lying there, his father said. He was able to say who he was and provide his parents’ phone number.
“The prayers that everyone sent up — the prayers are truly answered,” James McCormick told Associated Press after being reunited with his son at the scene.
“He’s scraped and bruised, but he’s awake and coherent,” the elder McCormick said.
His son was unable to move and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, McCormick said. He said paramedics were worried about internal injuries.
“They said it’s a miracle he’s still alive,” he added.
The family filed a missing person report after Julian McCormick disappeared a week ago. The Bowie State University student left campus the morning of Sept. 1 to pick up his girlfriend in College Park, but he never showed up.
Although it’s not far from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the section of Powder Mill Road where McCormick crashed is a very rural area with farms and fields, said Sgt. Robert Lachance of the U.S. Park Police, which has jurisdiction over the area.
James McCormick said the road goes right by his house, though Julian was taking it to get to Route 1 on his way to College Park.
McCormick said he believes his son was stuck in the car the whole week and only climbed out yesterday.
The 911 call came in shortly after 4 p.m., said Mark Brady, a spokesman for the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS.
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