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Student Pulls Himself From Car Wreck A Week Later

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The Associated Press

Published: September 10, 2007

WASHINGTON - James McCormick drove by a ravine near his Laurel, Md., home many times in the week since his 18-year-old son disappeared, oblivious to the fact that his son lay trapped in a car wreck below.

On Saturday, Julian McCormick stopped waiting for someone to find him in his flipped Honda Civic. Injured and dehydrated, he managed to climb out of the car and up to the side of the road, where a motorist spotted him.

McCormick was able to tell the driver, Leigh Ann Hess, his name and other facts, but didn't know how long he had been there, Hess said.

"The prayers that everyone sent up -- the prayers are truly answered," James McCormick told The Associated Press after being reunited with his son at the scene.

His son was taken by helicopter to a hospital for evaluation, McCormick said. He said paramedics were worried about internal injuries.

"They said it's a miracle he's still alive," he added.

The family filed a missing-person report after the 18-year-old disappeared a week ago. The Bowie State University student left campus the morning of Sept. 1 to pick up his girlfriend in College Park, but he never showed up.

Although it's not far from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the area where McCormick crashed is rural, dotted with farms and fields, said Sgt. Robert Lachance of the U.S. Park Police, which has jurisdiction over the area. The car was found in a creek below a bridge, police said, and the accident was under investigation.

James McCormick said the road is near his house, though Julian was taking it to get to Route 1 on his way to College Park. McCormick said he believes his son was stuck in the car the whole week and only climbed out Saturday.

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