Man survives snow by burning paper, eating sauce

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A man trapped for nearly a week in his car after it plunged into a ravine survived in the freezing cold by burning paper, melting snow for water and eating packets of fast-food sauce, rescuers say.

Robert Ward, 32, suffered a broken hip in the crash and could not get out of the car. He was found Sunday by his friend Terry Likens, captain of the fire department where Ward is a volunteer emergency medical technician.

Ward was in serious condition after surgery Sunday at a hospital in Huntington.

Ward was five miles from the coal mine where he works as a security guard when his car went off the road Dec. 2. It plunged 150 feet and hit a tree, destroying the headlights and horn.

The area's first major snowfall hit a few days later and temperatures remained below freezing for several days. To stay warm, Ward burned paper, including pages from his EMT manual, and melted snow to drink. His only food was what he could get out of an old peanut butter jar and fast-food sauce packets.

"It's a bachelor vehicle. It catches a little bit of everything," Likens said.