VIDEO: Teen pinned under Blazer spent 8 hours clinging to life

Caleb Stoller woke up in the woods, trapped under a sportutility vehicle below a remote, moonlit stretch of Old Stage Road.

As the 19-year-old from Colorado Springs faded in and out of consciousness, he clung to the idea that by staying awake, he might survive a crash he didn't remember - in which his 1995 Chevrolet Blazer rolled 75 feet down an embankment, throwing him from the driver's seat and pinning his legs to the ground.

"I was yelling for help until I passed out, and then I'd wake up again and keep yelling," he said.

Stoller, his face swollen and his arms covered with cuts and abrasions, could recall only portions of his ordeal from a hospital bed Tuesday, a day after a Colorado Springs police officer heard his pleas for help during a search for the teen.

The crash site was nearly 20 miles over the Teller County line, authorities said. They initially believed it happened closer to Colorado Springs, in El Paso County.

Although none of Stoller's bones were broken, circulation in his leg was cut off long enough to pose serious complications. Some of his muscle tissue died, and doctors fear toxins from the deteriorating tissue could affect his kidneys. He's expected to be back on his feet soon, though he will require physical therapy, Stoller said.

Stoller said he's grateful to emergency crews - and to Troy Pettenger, 20, and Dylan Smith, 19, fellow occupants of the Blazer who phoned for help after walking an estimated 10 miles to a house with a land line. Both were "pretty banged up" and set off fearing that Stoller could have been critically injured or even dead, he said.

"Without them I might not have made it," he said.

Authorities believe the crash happened between midnight and 2 a.m., and dispatchers received the emergency call about 5:30 a.m. First-responders used ropes to lift Stoller up the hill before a helicopter flew him to Penrose Hospital for emergency care.

Stoller, who obtained his general equivalency degree two years ago, said he and his friends ventured into the mountains above the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to admire the views on a moonlit night.

They ran low on gas while driving up and down dirt roads in the area, lost their way and mistakenly wandered farther from home, Stoller said.

Although he said he can't remember the crash, he said he believes the vehicle ran out of gas as he was negotiating Old Stage Road, causing the power steering to fail and his vehicle to plummet down an embankment, where authorities said it rolled 21/2 times before it came to rest on top of Stoller.

Stoller said he regained consciousness about three hours later. Beneath the vehicle, his legs were trapped between a boulder and a tree - his right leg wedged tightly near the waist.

Trying to stay awake, he used branches and pine needles to prop himself up.

"The only thing I was thinking was trying to get help," he said.

Reflecting on the crash, he said he plans to wear his seat belt whenever he gets into a vehicle, which won't be anytime soon.

"I'll probably take a break from driving," he said.

The Colorado Highway Patrol is investigating. A request to speak with a supervisor about the case was not answered.

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Contact the writer: 636-0366 or lance.benzel@gazette.com