He was driving down a remote road in the Willamette National Forest, located in the Cascades mountain range, when he got stuck, according to
Lane County Sheriff's Search and Rescue."Making his situation worse, his family was out of the country and nobody knew where he had gone or to call for help if he didn't make it home," the
search and rescue program said on Sunday.
But thinking quickly, the man, who has not been publicly identified, realized he may be able to use the drone he had with him to
call for help. He attached his cell phone to the drone and then typed a text message explaining he needed help and where exactly he was, officials said. After hitting send, he flew his drone "several hundred feet into the air."
"The increased elevation allowed his phone to connect to a tower and send the message, which resulted in our teams being deployed and assisting him out of his situation," the search and rescue group said.
Officials added that during the
rescue of the man, they were also able to locate and rescue another motorist who had spent "multiple days" stranded in the snow.
