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Fallen 81-year-old found alive after nine days with only water.
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Rescuers recount tale of finding fallen senior alive
By Doug Brown, Herald-Tribune staff (Grande Prairie, Alberta)
When Mounties found a Grande Prairie senior lying injured on the cold concrete floor of her basement, one of the first things the stoic 81-year-old did was apologize for how she looked.
But to the officers who had already steeled themselves for the possibility of finding a dead body, she was a sight for sore eyes.
"She said something to the effect of: 'I probably don't look good,'" said RCMP Const. Geordie Simpson, one of the officers who found Jean Legare injured, but alive after spending nine days trapped in her basement with only some water to sustain her. "I said: 'Ma'am, you look wonderful.'
"It was a great feeling."
Legare's niece, Terri Rau, of Saskatoon called police Saturday after the family had gone more than a week without hearing from her.
Const. Mark Osedowski was the first officer dispatched to the house. "I came to the house to check it out and all the mail had piled up. I talked to the neighbour, and they hadn't seen her since before Christmas. "I checked all the doors, rang the doorbell, I couldn't hear anything."
Osedowski returned later with Simpson and Const. Richard Howden. The three Mounties walked around the tiny, city-centre home, trying to peek inside the windows. "We were expecting the worst because of the piled-up mail and because no one had heard from her," said Osedowski.
But as he walked around the back of the home, Osedowski heard something. "I thought I heard a faint voice that said: 'Help.'" The officers rushed to break open the door, finding Legare in the home's unfinished basement.
"She was calling from the basement. We went downstairs and she was lying at the foot of the stairs," said Osedowski. "We were shocked, especially when we found out how long she'd been down there."
Legare told police she had been investigating a noise in the basement on Christmas Day when she slipped and fell down the staircase, breaking her leg and arm, and fracturing her hip. She survived by drinking from jugs of water that were near the stairs.
Mark Woods of GPREMS was one of the first paramedics on the scene. He was stunned when he heard Legare's story of survival. "I've never seen anything like this in my career. I think this speaks a lot to the resilience of this lady and her will to live," he said. "It was amazing. She was even cracking jokes at one point."
Legare had just prepared a roast chicken that sat rotting for nine days on her kitchen counter, said Simpson. She even told police how she could smell food cooking each day at a nearby bar and grill.
"If I was in the same situation I don't know how long I'd survive," said Simpson. "You go a day without a meal and it can really wear on you. I can't imagine going nine days."
Neighbours of Legare's said they were shocked and guilt-stricken to hear about the ordeal she'd gone through. "Horrible, horrible. We felt so guilty on Saturday," said Dareth Doyle, who lives across the street from Legare. It was only when she noticed police cars and an ambulance that Doyle realized she hadn't seen her neighbour in days. "It makes you think a person should get to know their neighbours better. We all kind of live in our own little worlds."
Ellen Macormac lives a few houses away, and said she walked her dog past Legare's house several times over the nine days. "I felt terrible. She needed help for over a week and I walked by there," she said. "I would have helped if I'd known."
Legare was taken to the QE II Hospital where she continues to recuperate from the ordeal. Legare has no family in the immediate area but some relatives were expected to arrive Monday to be at her bedside.
