HAMILTON - The voice seemed to come out of nowhere: "Help me."

Not once, but twice.

Russell Caudill heard the young woman's plea from a ravine, where a white Cadillac had wrecked hours earlier.

The injured woman, Danielle Combs, 18, of Milford Township, just northwest of Hamilton, may have laid immobile and undiscovered for six hours before Caudill happened upon the crash scene Monday morning and reported it to police.

"I can't imagine her laying there for like six hours," said Caudill, who tried to comfort the victim. "I just hate that."

A medical helicopter flew Combs to University Hospital, where she was listed in serious condition Monday evening.

The crash killed 18-year-old Steven Philpot of Hamilton.

Investigators said they suspect speed was a factor in the crash. They didn't know whether Philpot, who owned the car, was driving - because both he and Combs were thrown out of the vehicle. The car went off Washington Boulevard, plunged into the ravine, vaulted over a creek and slammed onto its passenger side, propped between a pair of trees.

Philpot is among more than two dozen Greater Cincinnati teens killed in traffic crashes this year.

Around 3:30 a.m. Monday, residents of an apartment building at Cleveland Avenue and Washington Boulevard heard what sounded like a vehicle crash, police said.

But in statements to police later, the residents said they didn't report the noise because they saw no sign of a wreck in the street.

They didn't think to look in the ravine.

Just before 9:30, Caudill arrived to mow the apartment building's lawn.

"I was cutting grass, and I looked over in the ravine and I saw what I thought was a car. ... There's a person laying underneath the car," he told a dispatcher via a cell phone.

Police arrived quickly, Caudill said. He was standing on the sidewalk on Washington Boulevard.

Caudill was pointing out the wreckage - and Philpot - to a police officer when he heard the girl's cries for help.

The wreckage, about 30 feet from the road, blocked Caudill from seeing Combs.

Caudill pushed past saplings and bushes to find Combs on the ground. A thin, black nylon jacket covered her white T-shirt. Her blue jeans were ripped, and she told Caudill she had apparently been unconscious for a time.

"The only thing moving was her eyes and her lips. She was completely still," he said. "She told me she couldn't feel her arms, and she asked me if I could give her my coat because she was cold."

Caudill obliged. Then she asked about Philpot. Suspecting Philpot's condition was grave, Caudill shifted the focus back to her - reassuring her that help was on the way. "Let's just worry about you," Caudill said he told Combs.

Although Caudill said it was troubling to see the wreckage and the victims, he's glad he was able to get help for Combs - especially since he had considered postponing the mowing job.

"I wasn't going to go over there and mow that grass, but that gentleman is a real good customer of mine," Caudill said. "And I was only there five minutes when I saw the car in a spot where you don't expect to see one."

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com