KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Sunday, Taylor Boyle was expected to arrive in Heiskell after leaving Fountain City. He told a friend that he was going to get some breakfast before heading out.
On Tuesday, Boyle was reported missing. He spent almost three days in a ditch after crashing before his friends found him. The next day, his friends returned to the place where he was found to collect some of his items, like a jacket and a belt.
"He was laying right here, his shirt and his belt sitting here, I guess. This is where he was at for two days — 60 hours," said Ryan French.
"When I looked down in there, I didn't see him at first and as I was panning out, I saw something sparkle — basically just saw the light reflect. And when I did, I looked back and I just saw the Harley wheel," Brandon Lawson said.
Lawson found Boyle in the ditch, near where his motorcycle had stopped following a crash. It had hit a tree down an embankment before coming to a rest. After Boyle failed to show up that Sunday morning, his friends and family started searching the area day and night, hoping to find any sign of his location.
"All I was worried about doing was just finding him. Anything and everything that we had to do, as long as it took. We just had to find him, I knew he was out there," said French. "It's pretty crazy, honestly, as far as he was down here. And, as much as you can see from up here, it's a miracle that we found him. I just praise God every day."
He was a part of the group that returned to the spot on Wednesday. Boyle is recovering in the hospital, and the cause of the crash is under investigation. Anyone who wants to donate to help with Boyle's care can contribute to a GoFundMe campaign.