Outback teen was hours from death (From The Argus)

Outback teen was hours from death

11:10am Monday 18th February 2013 in News

A teenager who got lost in the Australian Outback was just hours from death, according to doctors.

Former Brighton College student Sam Woodhead was rescued after he made an SOS sign out of his old rugby shorts.

The 18-year-old sparked a massive search operation after getting lost when he went for a walk from a remote ranch in the Australian wilderness last Tuesday (February 12).

The fitness fanatic lost two stone and was so weak he could barely move when after three days he was finally spotted by a rescue helicopter.

He had drunk contact lens solution to quench his thirst in Queensland, where the temperature soared to nearly 40C during the day.

Sam spent two nights sleeping in the Outback.

He had got lost after taking a walk and realising he could not see any familiar landmarks in the thickly-wooded bush.

The more he walked, the more lost he became until he stumbled across his own footprints and realised he had been going in circles.

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