ATHOL, Idaho — A North Idaho man who had sparked searches after disappearing during an ATV ride has been found alive three days after crashing the vehicle off the road.
Howard Coates, 66, was airlifted to Kootenai Health Sunday and is being treated for his injuries, but is expected to survive.
The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office had asked for help locating Coates after he did not return from a Thursday night ATV ride near his home in Athol. Coates had taken off on his 2004 Camo Bombardier Outlander ATV at about 7 p.m. from the area of Pope Road and Corbin Hill Road.
Investigators said the missing man was wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt when he set off on his ride, and did not have his medication with him.
The sheriff's office launched a search for Coates using a helicopter to fly over roads into the national forest they believed he might have taken. Kootenai County Volunteer Search and Rescue the Civil Air Patrol assisted in looking for the man, but searches came up empty.
On Sunday, officials announced they had found Coates, hurt but alive. The sheriff's office said he had crashed his ATV off the road, ending up in an area that was not visible from the road or from the air. Coates was trapped at the scene of the crash for days before rescuers spotted him.
His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, according to the sheriff's office.
"We would like to thank all the agencies and the public for their help during this incident," the sheriff's office posted.
