Clay County deputies find frozen man in ditch

By David Olson

January 22, 2009 at 2:44 PM

MOORHEAD - A man found snowbound in a ditch north of Moorhead this morning had frozen limbs and a heartbeat so faint deputies at first thought he might be dead.

Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist said the 43-year-old man, whom authorities believe is from Dilworth, was in surgery this afternoon at MeritCare Hospital in Fargo.

The man's identity and condition were not available.

Bergquist said when the man was found his limbs appeared to be frozen solid and his heartbeat was nearly undetectable.

The Sheriff's Department received a call about a possible dead person about 9 a.m.

The man's vehicle was found in the ditch in the 6300 block of 28th St. N., said Bergquist, who added authorities were still attempting to locate the man's relatives late this afternoon.

Bergquist said it appeared the vehicle had driven straight off the road into the ditch and it was not known how long it had been stuck in the snow.

No other details were available.

See Friday's Forum for more details.

By David Olson

I'm a reporter and a photographer and sometimes I create videos to go with my stories.

I graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead and in my time with The Forum I have covered a number of beats, from cops and courts to business and education.

I've also written about UFOs, ghosts, dinosaur bones and the planet Pluto.

You may reach me by phone at 701-241-5555, or by email at dolson@forumcomm.com