Oxford man had to crawl through woods to car after accident last month.

NORWAY – An Oxford man is slowly recovering from an accident last month that stranded him in the woods for hours.

On Oct. 16, Cleon Dyer, 27, was driving from a friend’s home in Norway to Durgin Road in Paris, where he lived before the accident.

Dyer said he fell asleep at the wheel around 10:30 p.m. His 1990 Ford Ranger veered into the woods off Cottage Street, traveling 150 feet into the trees before stopping. Dyer was ejected from the truck and lost consciousness.

“Nobody even knew the accident happened,” Dyer said.

A caller reported a screech of tires in the area, but police responding to the accident found no sign of the wreck.

Dyer said he thinks he woke up about two hours later and realized he had been in an accident and that no one could see the truck.

“I didn’t even know where I was,” he said. “I just knew in order to get help, I needed to get to my phone.”

Dyer said his cell phone was in the truck, and he had an idea of where it was because someone called him after the wreck and he could hear it ringing. He was eventually able to crawl to the vehicle and place the call around 1:30 a.m.

Dyer stayed on the phone with dispatchers, who tried to determine his location by Global Positioning System. The GPS erroneously put the accident on nearby Carter Street, and it wasn’t until 2:45 a.m. that Dyer was discovered by paramedics with Pace Ambulance.

“I haven’t seen the truck, but everyone says I was pretty lucky,” Dyer said.

He said one of the responding police officers suggested that he should buy some lottery tickets.

Dyer broke his right femur in three places, shattered his right knee, and suffered muscle damage to the leg. He also had a cut on his chin and muscle damage from a gash on his left arm.

After spending time in the intensive care unit and physical therapy at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Dyer was released Oct. 25. A titanium rod was inserted from his hip to his knee. His leg remains in a cast, and he said doctors have told him it may be 18 months before he can work again.

Dyer, who has been living and working as a plumber in the Oxford Hills region for the past several years, said he moved after the accident and family and friends are assisting with his recovery.

“Everybody’s been really helpful,” he said.