Fla. man survives being stuck under truck for hours in subzero temperatures, snow in Indiana

1/9/2014

The tractor trailer where Tim Rutledge, 53, of Orlando, Fla., says he crawled under before dawn Monday to fix its frozen brakes when it suddenly settled deeper into the snow, pinning him beneath an axle remains at a truck stop just in Whiteland, Ind., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIANAPOLIS — A truck driver is out of the hospital and heading home to Florida after being stuck under his semitrailer for hours in sub-zero temperatures in Indiana.

Tim Rutledge of Orlando, Fla., says he crawled under his cab before dawn on Monday to fix his truck’s frozen brakes at a truck stop south of Indianapolis. But the truck suddenly settled deeper into the snow, pinning him beneath an axle.

The 53-year-old says no one could hear him shouting amid the wind and running truck engines. After about eight hours, his cellphone fell from his coat pocket and he used its voice activation to tell his boss he needed help.

Rutledge said Thursday he has some numbness but shouldn’t have long-term injuries. His doctor says another hour outside likely would’ve been fatal.