CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. — A Spokane Valley woman who went missing in the Cascade Mountains was rescued Monday night, four days after her car went sliding down a ravine.
A WSDOT employee spotted the car off of Highway 97 near Blewett Pass and rescue crews hoisted 68-year-old Lynell McFarland to safety.
"The first thing she said was 'Oh, my daughter is going to be so worried,'" said Amanda McFarland, who was on scene as crews rescued her mother.
She said her mom left a friend's house in Ellensburg Thursday afternoon but never made it home to Spokane Valley that night. Amanda later learned what actually happened.
"It was dark and snowing and she took the wrong exit heading the opposite direction and her intention was to turn around," Amanda said.
Amanda said as her mom was making a U-turn, her car slid and rolled off the highway and down a ravine.
"She ended up breaking her wrist and hand and fracturing multiple bones on her right side. Her bone was exposed," Amanda said.
Amanda said her mom's body was pinned in the car and she had no way of calling for help. She and her cousin spent the weekend searching ravines and back roads for Lynell.
On Monday, a WSDOT employee located the car and Chelan County Rescue crews lifted Lynell to safety. Roughly an hour before, Amanda said she was able to ping her mom's phone to the location near Blewett Pass.
"I knew how critical it was and my mother did, too. She was aware the whole time she was in the car. She knew she was on day four," Amanda said.
Lynell told her daughter she didn't think she would have survived another two days.
"We were both obviously crying but she was remarkably alert," Amanda said.
Lynell was taken to a hospital in Wenatchee for surgery. Her daughter knows there will still be some difficult days ahead.
"We have a very long road to recovery but she is with us and she is alive and that's what matters," she said.
Her family set up a GoFundMe to help with her recovery. As of Monday, it's raised nearly $5,000.