Ohio Man With Parkinson's Rescued After Two And A Half Days In Mud

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) -- A man who fell from a bridge and then spent 2 1/2 days stuck in mud on a riverbank was rescued Tuesday evening, authorities said.

William Purdy, 50, who has Parkinson's disease, had been missing since Saturday morning, his family said. Passers-by spotted him near the bridge on the edge of town where few people go walking.

It took rescuers about an hour to free Purdy, who was ``cold, talkative and tickled to death that someone found him,'' Portsmouth Police Detective Lynn Brewer said.

Purdy told police he fell from the bridge into the Scioto River late Saturday or early Sunday. He managed to swim to shore but then got stuck on the bank, Brewer said.

Purdy was being treated Tuesday night at the Southern Ohio Medical Center. His family declined to release his condition.