CANAL POINT, Fla. (WSVN) — A lone cyclist was found after deputies used technology to locate him after he got lost for hours in a national park.
According to deputies, the cyclist went off-trail at DuPuis Park near Canal Point, where he quickly became lost and called police after taking a wrong turn.
“He’d been out there for several hours and, I don’t know how off-track he was, but he had taken a wrong turn and realized that the direction he was going wasn’t working out for him,” said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said the bicyclist was visiting the area from out of town when he got lost.
After recognizing he didn’t know where he was, the bicyclist called 911.
“911, do you need fire, police or medical?” the dispatcher asked.
“I’m lost,” the bicyclist said in his call to 911.
“You’re lost?” the dispatcher asked.
“Yes, I’m on a bicycle, out on trails,” the man said.
Officials said the park he was riding through covers thousands of acres, which makes it easy for someone to travel dozens of miles without encountering another person.
“That management area actually goes from DuPuis down into Corbett, which is in Palm Beach County. So if you get lost in there and you make a wrong turn, you could go 14, 15, up to 20 miles and not see anyone,” said Budensiek.
Even though the man didn’t have a good idea on his exact location, dispatchers on the phone were able to use geolocation devices to find the location of his cell phone.
“So him calling in allowed our 911 to locate where he was and then share that information with our aviation, who was able to fly straight out there. And then from there, it was just a matter of them guiding in our Ranch and Grove Road Patrol Unit, who were able to assist this individual and get him out of the park safely,” said Budensiek.
After a few hours, rescue crews found him safe and unharmed.
“Thankfully, this individual swallowed their pride, like they were smart enough to realize that they were lost,” said Budensiek.
The sheriff said it’s always a good idea to bring a traditional map and keep a fully charged phone along any trips into park trails and forests.
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