Man Survives Crash with Help from His Dog After Crawling for 11 Hours (Video)

A Utah man is lucky to be alive after surviving a harrowing crash and crawling through the mountains for over 11 hours—injured, alone, and guided only by the faint glow of his dog’s collar.

Jacob “Jake” Schmitt, originally from Buffalo, New York, was exploring Utah’s remote Uinta Mountains with his dog Buddy on July 20 when his side-by-side off-road vehicle lost control and flipped over a cliff. The vehicle rolled an estimated 15 to 20 times, ejecting Jake and leaving him severely injured.

With no phone, no flashlight, and broken bones—including his leg, ribs, and both ankles—Jake did something extraordinary. He made a splint using debris from the crash, duct tape, and his belt, then began crawling through the dark wilderness for miles to find help.

His only source of light? A small glow from the LED on Buddy’s collar.

“It was like having your best friend there just to kind of nudge you like, ‘Keep going, keep going,’” Jake later told Fox 13. “I couldn’t have done it without him.”

After dragging himself through the night, Jake finally reached his truck by sunrise and drove to the Oakley Diner, where he calmly asked an employee to call 911. He was rushed to Park City Hospital, while firefighters cared for Buddy and secured Jake’s truck.

The GoFundMe page set up by friends says Jake’s survival was nothing short of miraculous. “When Jake and Buddy were finally reunited at the hospital, it was nothing short of moving — a powerful moment of loyalty, love, and survival.”

In a video interview, Jake recalled the moment after the crash when he opened his eyes to find Buddy miraculously unharmed, sitting beside him. “When I came to, he was just staring at me without a scratch,” Jake said, visibly emotional. “It’s unreal.”

Jake, a hunter and outdoorsman, said he was forced to choose between giving up and dying on the mountain—or pushing through unimaginable pain to survive. “Everybody wants to act tough, but I wanted to give up every time,” he admitted. “Either I die here, or I figure out how to keep going.”

With Buddy by his side, he alternated between crawling and dragging himself along the rugged terrain, pausing to drink from a creek in the dark alongside his loyal dog.

Jake is now home recovering with Buddy at his side. His GoFundMe campaign has raised over $15,000 to help cover medical expenses and recovery costs.

Hero dog. Determined man. One unbelievable journey of survival.