Milford Man Trapped under Snowmobile for 20 Hrs. Rescued in Maine

A 64-year-old resident of Milford was rescued Wednesday after searchers in northern Maine found him trapped underneath an overturned snowmobile.

He had been trapped for about 20 hours.

Paul Lessard was reported missing about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday by a friend after he failed to return from a snowmobile ride. He had been gone since about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Lessard was found about 8 a.m. Wednesday by a man and and his son who own a local Arctic Cat outlet, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News. The temperature at the time was 8 degrees. He was taken to a hospital in northern Maine with conditions including hypothermia.

The search area by Wednesday covered 1,000 square-miles. Lessard was found about 1.5 miles off a groomed snowmobile track, in a ditch on a discontinued logging road, said Sgt. Jeff Spencer of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Two wardens had searched Tuesday night, by the next morning, six more and an airplane, as well as town volunteers, were ready to help.

The temperatures Lessard survived dropped to the single digits overnight, Spencer said. "He's very lucky to be alive."

Now recovering at a hospital in Bangor, Lessard said Thursday morning he prayed through the night and was confident he would be found by the Maine Wardens. He broke no bones, and was conscious when his rescuers found him.

"I have faith in God and I have faith in the Maine wardens," said Lessard, who is known as "Moses." He's a popular fixture in the Milford parades, as a Viet Nam veteran.

"I'll be marching in the Memorial Day parade," he said Thursday.

Lessard said he was dressed for the cold — four layers — and knew he'd be OK if he kept himself awake. He was protected, he said, because he fell into a ditch, and the snowmobile covered him from some of the wind. The machine had pinned his leg, however, so he couldn't get out from under it.

He's been snowmobiling for 36 years, Lessard said, and spends the winters in that area so is familiar with the trails.

Lessard was expected to be discharged from the hospital Thursday. "I'm in tip-top shape," he reported.