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Maine trooper hailed a hero for rescuing elderly man

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Posted at 8:59 PM, Dec 27, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-28 12:28:45-05

A trooper in Maine is being hailed a hero after he rescued an elderly man with Alzheimer's.

82-year-old Bernard Perry's wife called authorities after her husband wandered off.

Trooper Tyler Harrington had just started his shift and overheard the call.

A storm had covered the roads with ice and snow.

Spotting a plow truck driver, Harrington stopped him.

"I had the plow truck driver show me where the last place he had seen him as I followed him over, the plow truck driver pointed in the general area," said Harrington. "I was able to shine my flashlight and see Mr. Perry off the roadway in the ditch. I don't know exactly how he ended up in the ditch, but all I know is that he was in the ditch."

Rescuers found Perry a quarter-mile down the road from his home.

He suffered from severe hypothermia and frostbite.

"Ultimately being at the right place, at the right time. Any one of us, any law enforcement, any civilian would have done the exact same thing I did. I pray that he's able to be home for Christmas with his family," Harrington said.