Missing man found off Parkway
by Kellen Moore
An 87-year-old man who was the subject of a Silver Alert was
found safe Thursday morning in the woods where his vehicle had run off the Blue Ridge
Parkway.
Responders confirmed that the driver was William Jack Richardson, who was last seen in Watauga County around 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to the alert.
Richardson was cold and disoriented, unable to identify what year it was, according to Deep Gap firefighters and first responders. He was taken to Watauga Medical Center to be checked.
A couple driving north on the Blue Ridge Parkway spotted the burgundy 2004 Buick LeSabre around 9:30 a.m. off the highway near the Ashe County line and stopped to offer help, Deep Gap Fire Chief Mark Parsons said.
The vehicle was partially obscured by thick underbrush where it ran off the road.
They wrapped a blanket around Richardson to keep him warm while waiting for help to arrive.
Responders confirmed that the driver was William Jack Richardson, who was last seen in Watauga County around 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to the alert.
Richardson was cold and disoriented, unable to identify what year it was, according to Deep Gap firefighters and first responders. He was taken to Watauga Medical Center to be checked.
A couple driving north on the Blue Ridge Parkway spotted the burgundy 2004 Buick LeSabre around 9:30 a.m. off the highway near the Ashe County line and stopped to offer help, Deep Gap Fire Chief Mark Parsons said.
The vehicle was partially obscured by thick underbrush where it ran off the road.
They wrapped a blanket around Richardson to keep him warm while waiting for help to arrive.
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