Buffalo woman dies after car gets stuck in snow

What advice would you have given this unfortunate victim?

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/buf...642a8e2b8799fd7

Sounds like she was running the engine in a small enclosed space buried in snow.

So other means of staying warm, blankets/sleeping bag.
Carbon monoxide alarm?

That one is truly tragic! It seems if she'd have just had a sleeping bag and didn't run the car she'd have been fine. This is probably the situation I'm the most prepared for! I'd be comfy down to about -40 F or maybe a bit lower, got a pair of Wiggy's bags in the Subaru at all times. Plus a pair of Wiggy's mittens, some hats, extra gloves, a pair of Wiggy's Arctic Pac boots, saw, axe, shovel, small tent, tarp, ground pad, tow strap, etc. Usually I've got a couple of Mountain House LRP rations in there as well not that it's a strict necessity. If the car is doing the hauling why not be prepared? That reminds me, I gotta go throw my crampons in the car!

My advice would have been, in order from best to worst: (1) don't go out (2) if you HAVE to go, make sure the car is ready for it, full tank of gas and fresh show tires, have warm stuff (sleeping bag, blankets, whatever you have access to...) in the car in case you get stuck of course hats / gloves boots basic food / water (3) if you didn't do any of that and you're relying on the car for heat, keep the entire exterior of the vehicle free from snow, ideally with a shovel you brought, less ideally, if your arms / hands. Just the tail pipe clear MAY be enough, but also may not be if exhaust is blowing under the car and getting inside. If you can, park it under a structure (bridge) or near a structure to help reduce snow pile up before getting truly stuck. Unlikely that'd happen though.

I'm looking at this and I'm mad as hell. This is a stupid series of deep failures, right down the line. This person should absolutely be alive and well.

Those of us who go into wilderness accept a certain level of risk. We are out often out of communication with the world, and we act accordingly, and prepare for eventualities, and take our lumps if it goes wrong.

But the person in question was not lost in deep wilderness. If I understand correctly, she was fully connected to the Internet and emergency services and her family, and in a viable shelter. How in the hell did noone along that entire chain fail to give her the dirt simple information that would have kept her from dying from carbon monoxide poisoning?!

So yep, I'm pissed off about this. Such a waste, so preventable.

This is the elephant in the living room of survival I never understand. Why no sleeping bag in kits? Yes they are heavy, bulky items, but except on the warmest summer nights, you are going to be a wreck, or dead after the first night.
qjs

Yeah, especially it makes sense in a car where the car is carrying all the weight. With bags there's cheap, warm & light- pick any two. You can get an inexpensive bag that's pretty warm but it won't be light, but what if it weighs ten pounds? Your car weighs 3,500 pounds, you'll never notice it.

Well, first off, there is reason to suspect this fatality was a knowledge failure, not a lack-of-equipment failure. Obviously we don't know the whole story, but carbon monoxide is the more probable cause.

Regarding the gear discussion: in a car, the challenge is a human calculation. You can add good gear like a sleeping bag, but will it be in the car when someone needs it? It takes up space, it's in the way, and aside from a few ETS diehards it probably won't be in the car on the extremely rare occasion when it's needed. And as discussed elsewhere, the clear consensus is that putting this sort of gear in stealthy locations, out of sight, is a really, really stupid idea.

For the adolescent Magnets, my expectation is going to be something like: “Dad put an emergency kit in my car and made sure I knew where it was and what was in it. I don’t remember much but I can find it.”

I was too young to remember, but a long time ago, the engine caught fire as Mom was driving, and, as it so happens, a sleeping bag was in the trunk. Thinking quickly, Mom used the sleeping bag to extinguish the fire, and the fire did not do much damage due to her quick thinking.

The moral of the story is a sleeping bag can come in handy in more ways than one.

Jeanette Isabelle

That’s very quick thinking!

Don’t try this with synthetics!

Being an old 65+ years old, and diabetic, first thing that pops in my mind is the frequent need to go. So, I'd like to remind everyone in that age group to figure out a way to relieve their kidneys and bladders in such situations. Not fun, but necessary.

My first real job after college I had to drive a lot for a small company that was installing and supporting e-911 systems. I kept an empty Gatorade bottle just for in case of that kind of situation.
First time I ever did have to use it was sometime between 2am and 4am on 23 in Ohio. In the 90's there were not as many places to stop at now and I wanted to get home so I used that bottle. Dropped the lid of course and my old truck had no cup holders and a manual transmission so I got tired of holding it and my sleepy mind though it would be a good idea to pour it out the window. It of course splashed all over the side of the truck.
Of course there appears a gas station like two minutes later. The cashier gave me funny looks while as I was running their window squeegee along the whole side of the truck.

The article indicates the poor woman died of Carbon Monoxide poisoning and nothing related to the actual cold. I am assuming she had plenty of gas, and we don't know what other items she had in her vehicle.

Simply, the woman did not know of the risk associated with snow drift and keeping her engine running while stuck. Had she been aware of that and had some means of clearing the snow, (in this case even a bit of cardboard would have sufficed.) she would not have died.

It highlights the import of situational awareness, of knowing what to do when stuck in snow, and of carrying at least some rudimentary tools in your vehicle.

The coming snowstorm was broadcast by most news media, so she would have had ample time to put some tools, blankets, food and water in her car.

The fact that she sent videos would seem to indicate that she did have a viable means of communications, and was totally unaware that the danger she immedianly faced was from Carbon Monoxide, and not the cold.