A Nespelem man returned home Monday after receiving serious injuries in an auto accident Saturday, Dec. 30, on Peter Dan Road.

Speaking by phone Tuesday, J C Moses, 22, said his 2001 Toyota Camry hit black ice and skidded off the road, rolled some 50 feet down a steep embankment and came to rest at the bottom of the hill.

"I remember going over the edge of the road, and then laying on the ground next to the car on the cold ground and (EMT) Ben Aling saying, "Stay with me."

Moses said the accident happened about 4 p.m. "just as it was getting dark," and that it was foggy out.

He was taken by ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane where he was treated for five broken ribs, a broken collarbone, some puncture wounds and a number of bruises.

"I am really sore today," Moses stated, and then acknowledged that he was lucky to be alive.

J C's mother, Cheryl, heaped praise on Jarred Erickson, who lives near where the wreck occurred. Erickson was skinning a cougar out in his garage when he heard the banging of the vehicle coming to rest.

Erickson and his wife, Carisa, rushed to the scene and called for an ambulance and kept Moses protected from the 20-degree weather.

Cheryl Moses said the vehicle rolled a few times and that her son was thrown out of the passenger side window.

"If it wasn't for Jarred hearing the crash, I don't know if he would have survived," she said. The area is somewhat remote and the area where the vehicle rested is not easily seen.

The Toyota was a complete loss.