The 67-year-old victim was rescued on Thursday from the bottom of a steep ravine on Lake Hughes Road at Pine Canyon Road.
David Lavau survived serious injuries from a horrific car crash; he spent six days drinking stream water and eating bugs and leaves.
"We stopped at every ravine," said daughter Lisa Lavau. "I looked over every hill and then my brother got out of the car. We kept screaming, and the next thing we heard dad say 'help, help.' And there he was."
David Lavau was on his way home from Oxnard when his car went over the ravine last Friday.
"My dad would never not call his kids, there's four of us," said Lisa Lavau. "By the time the fourth day, the fifth day, and then the sixth day, we knew something was wrong. He supposedly just lost control. There was a bright car, and if you saw where the accident happened, several cars have gone off."
In one of those other cars a driver was found who did not survive.
"Right now we had to wait for the coroner to arrive before we could do anything with the other victim, the D.O.A.," said Capt. Robert Brandelli from L.A. City Fire Department. "The coroner has already made a determination that they have to come back in the morning. He's been there longer than six days."
As David Lavau is recovering at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, his family is counting their blessings.
"The car is just horrific, I don't know how he survived," said Lisa Lavau.
His doctor calls it a miracle.
"It's unusual for someone to survive in these circumstances and come out as stable as he is," said Dr. Garrett Sutter. "He didn't sustain any life-threatening injuries despite a horrendous motor vehicle accident and an enormous fall."
David Lavau has numerous broken bones but is in stable condition.
The other driver has not been identified. It is unclear how long he was at the ravine.
