TOPEKA (AP) – A Junction City man is recovering in a Topeka hospital after being pinned in his car at the bottom of a creek bed for about 12 hours.

46-year-old Daniel Delatore was in satisfactory condition Wednesday at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says he drove off the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 late Sunday or early Monday near Paxico and was found around 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Patrol spokesman Marcus Seirer says Delatore suffered a leg injury that would have prevented him from getting far even if he hadn’t been trapped in the car.

Delatore told investigators he used a towel to mop up muddy water in the otherwise dry creek bed to stay hydrated.