Brutal road crash left Utah hunter stranded in woods with a broken leg — until his loyal dog used its collar to save his life in an 11-hour ordeal
Survival stories often involve moments of extreme danger, and the will to keep going when everything seems lost. Yet, one recent tale from Utah stands out not only for the odds stacked against the man but also for the bond between him and his dog. A harrowing accident in the Uinta Mountains left a hunter with severe injuries, but his determination, coupled with a loyal companion, saw him through an unimaginable journey. The twist? The guiding light in his darkest hour was nothing more than his dog’s collar.
As reported by The Nightly, Jacob Schmitt, a seasoned hunter, was driving his side-by-side off-road vehicle in the rugged Uinta mountains on July 20, 2025, when disaster struck. The vehicle flipped down a cliff, rolling end over end. “Immediately, I realized it was going over like a capsizing ship,” Schmitt recalled in an interview. “The machine flipped probably 15-20 times by the end of it, but I would say, best of my recollection, probably the second or third flip is when it kind of sort of rag-dolled me out," Schmitt shared with Fox 13.
The crash left Schmitt with a broken leg, both ankles fractured, and multiple broken ribs. Despite these severe injuries, he wasn't alone. His dog, Buddy, was traveling in a kennel at the back of the vehicle, and miraculously, the dog emerged without a scratch. The same couldn’t be said for Schmitt, who found himself lying in the wilderness, struggling to move, with no phone, no light, and no clear way out.
Schmitt realized that he had no other choice but to crawl his way to safety. Using his belt, duct tape, and a roll cage bar, he managed to create a temporary splint for his broken leg. Without a phone to call for help, Schmitt had to rely on his dog’s collar for light. As night fell, the small light on Buddy’s collar became his only guide. “That little circle on his collar — I turned it on, and he would heel,” Schmitt said, speaking of his dog’s role in keeping him alive.
The journey to safety was grueling. For over 11 hours, Schmitt crawled through the wilderness, often stopping to drink creek water with Buddy by his side. “Everybody wants to act tough, but I wanted to give up every time,” Schmitt admitted. “But it’s like, either I die here, or I figure out how to keep going.” His dog remained at his side, urging him forward with every step. At one point, Schmitt described how Buddy’s presence gave him the strength to continue, "It was like having your best friend there just to kind of nudge you like, ‘Keep going, keep going.’ I couldn’t have done it without him.”
By the time dawn broke, Schmitt had finally made it to his vehicle. With what little strength he had left, he drove to the Oakley Diner. There, he asked staff to call 911, and emergency responders quickly arrived. Schmitt was airlifted to Park City Hospital, where doctors confirmed the extent of his injuries: broken ribs, both ankles, and a fractured tibia and fibula. Despite his severe condition, Schmitt’s resilience and the help of his dog had saved his life. After a brief stay in the hospital, Schmitt was discharged and began his recovery at home.