A major search operation was prompted after a car ploughed off the M6 motorway and rolled down an embankment.
Emergency services were called by the panicked driver, who had become trapped inside their vehicle on Sunday afternoon.
The driver could not give call handlers their exact location as they could only see mud and woodland, North West Motorway Police said.
A picture from the scene shows the car completely hidden from passing road traffic.
The emergency responder stayed on the phone with the driver to ascertain if they could hear the sirens of police vehicles getting closer.
A National Police Air Service helicopter eventually located the car using thermal imaging equipment.
The driver was taken to hospital to be checked over.
In a post on Twitter, North West Motorway Police said: "If you were on the M6 in Cheshire this afternoon, you may have seen multiple emergency service vehicles and numerous rolling blocks being put in place.
"This was as in response to a 999 call from a driver whose vehicle had left the carriageway and rolled down the embankment, trapping the driver.
"The 999 call taker was able to keep the driver on the phone and calm them down to enable better details to be obtained, as all the driver could see was mud and woodland whilst updates where relayed to patrols.
"Key areas checked off by operators as patrols conducted a coordinated search of the M6 area waiting to discover if their sirens were getting louder to the driver to indicate they were getting nearer.
"Cheshire Fire and North West Ambulance also assisted as they were called to the initial report.
"The vehicle was finally located by a National Police Air Service helicopter that had been deployed to assist using thermal imaging equipment.
"The driver was freed from their vehicle and was taken to hospital to be checked over."
