Opoczno. A 71-year-old man went missing while mushroom picking. He was found by one of the drivers

A 71-year-old man, as told by the subordinate. Stępień went mushroom picking with his wife on Wednesday. The man is sick and has problems with mobility, so the couple agreed that the man would wait for the woman at the agreed place in the forest. – The couple left the house at 9 a.m. and were supposed to return together an hour later. When the woman finished picking mushrooms, she did not find her husband, says Deputy Commissioner Barbara Stępień, spokeswoman for the district headquarters in Opoczno.

The woman initially tried to find her husband on her own. She notified the police only after 4 p.m. – The policemen who were the first to arrive at the scene checked the area where the 71-year-old was last seen. Unfortunately, these initial searches did not bring any results – say Barbara Stępień.

The police were informed by his wife that the missing person was unable to live independently and took medication every day. He left home without a cell phone and did not have any other device that would help locate him.

– Due to this, an alarm was announced for the Opoczno police officers. Police officers from the Police Prevention Units in Piotrków Trybunalski, police officers from the Search and Identification of Persons Department of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Łódź, and firefighters from the Volunteer Fire Department in Drzewica were also involved to help in the search for the man, who used a drone and quads to search. In total, several dozen people were looking for the missing person, reports the spokeswoman of the police station in Opoczno.

The breakthrough in this case came around 6:30 p.m. Then the officer on duty at the Opoczno police station received a report that there had almost been an accident on national road No. 48, near the town of Ossa.

– The driver of a passenger car overtook a tractor-trailer there. During the maneuver, he saw a man standing on the road in front of him. The 53-year-old driver miraculously avoided hitting a pedestrian, reports Barbara Stępień.

The driver stopped the car and ran to the man standing on the road. It turned out to be a missing 71-year-old man.

– The missing person was confused. The 53-year-old took him to the car and took him to a neighboring town. There he alerted the police, says the spokeswoman of the Opoczno police station.

The missing man, who had traveled several kilometers from the place where he was supposed to meet his wife, was tired but did not require hospitalization.

Assistant Commissioner Barbara Stępień emphasizes that elderly people who lose their orientation in the area and cannot find their way back home are most likely to get lost in the forest.

– This situation poses a threat to their health. That is why a search for the missing person is always initiated. Police officers from all police organizational units, firefighters, volunteer firefighters and even foresters are involved in the action. The police use all possible means to reach the missing person as quickly as possible. A police helicopter is often involved in the search, equipped with specialized equipment that helps find a person in very difficult and inaccessible terrain – says the policewoman.

At the same time, he appeals to make sure that the senior has a mobile phone with him. – Firstly, it will enable contact with the police if you are lost, and secondly, it will allow you to designate the search area. It is also worth wearing a reflective vest in the forest – at night in the forest, it will probably make it easier for the services to find the person you are looking for faster – says the policewoman.