Missing College Student's Amazing Story of Survival|ABC 7 News

text size: A | A | A

Missing College Student's Amazing Story of Survival

posted 6:37 pm Mon September 10, 2007 - BELTSVILLE, Md.

Julian McCormick remains hospitalized, nine days after the college student crashed his car and spent a week drinking pond water and eating raw minnows in an incredible story of survival.

McCormick spent several days trapped in his upside-down Honda Civic at the bottom of a ravine off Powder Mill Road in Beltsville. He was found along the side of the road Saturday by passers-by who spotted the bleeding teenager waving his fingers for help. The 18-year-old's parents, James and Peggy McCormick, spoke publicly Monday about their son's ordeal, filling in some details of his amazing survival story.

Please Upgrade To Flash!

ABC 7 News - Missing College Student's Amazing Story of Survival

related stories:

Police Seek Help in Locating Missing Student

They say Julian believes he spent two days upside down and unconscious in his car after he crashed.

When he awoke, he told his parents, it took him two days to cut himself free from his seat belt with a pocketknife and three days before he could muster the strength to climb out the creek bed and ravine.

"He was able to tough it out, get through the water, climb up the hill, and I think it's just amazing," said Julian's father.

His parents say McCormick filled his size 13 high-top sneakers with creek water to drink, and used his hands to catch minnows which he swallowed.

"He was able to scoop water up in his tennis shoe - yuck- and he drank that," said Peggy McCormick.

"He says he was able to catch some of them in his hand and gobble them up," said James McCormick, speaking of the tiny fish. "He went into survival mode."

It remains unclear what happened to McCormick's cell phone and whether it was in the vehicle with him or had been ejected during the crash.

Before his rescue, McCormick had last been seen September 1st, when he left campus to pick up his girlfriend, Flor Orellana-Diaz, who said she called him on his cell phone 127 times in the week he was missing.

"He is so amazing," she said. "I don’t know how he did it, but he did. He survived seven days out here. It's incredible."

Latest Comment on Missing College Student's Amazing Story of Survival

mztina608@yahoo.com

8:48 am on 09/11/07

I am so happy he was found and he'll be okay. I have said time and time again that the county needs to do some walk throughs when it comes to the side of the road.

» report abuse

read all comments

You need to be a registered member of
ABC 7 News to leave comments on news stories.

Not a member yet? Click Here to sign up.

Please leave your comments below:

Messages that harass, abuse or threaten other members; have obscene or otherwise objectionable content; have spam, commercial or advertising content or inappropriate links may be removed and may result in the loss of your posting privileges. Please do not post any private information unless you want it to be available publicly. Never assume that you are completely anonymous and cannot be identified by your posts.

The 'RUNNING MAN' icon is a registered trademark of America Online, Inc.