A 43-year-old Michigan woman is happy to be alive after her car got stuck in the snow amid subzero temperatures this week.
According to Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich, the woman was leaving work early Tuesday morning when her Ford Blazer got stuck. She then reportedly made the mistake of getting out and trying to walk on foot, instead, in the cold.
“She walked nearly a mile, maybe a little more than a mile,” Reich said. “She wasn’t really dressed for the weather.”
Metro Detroit weather forecast: Chance of snow almost every day through Tuesday
The woman was eventually able to find cell phone service and dialed 9-1-1. Because the snow was so high, police officers had to use the assistance of nearly the entire community to help the woman.
“(It was) with the help of Michigan State Police, the deputy sheriff at Eaton County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Grand Ledge Fire and their EMS, the Eaton County Road Commission’s office as well as a landscape business,” Reich said. “It was extraordinary to have a community come together and help this lady out.”
The woman was treated but for a while, she wasn’t able to feel her fingers or any other extremities after walking in the snow.
“We haven’t had this kind of snow in a long time,” Reich said. “I’m very happy this lady is safe. It could have been a lot worse.”
The Eaton County Sheriff’s Office is reminding everyone to keep extra clothing and blankets inside their vehicle during cold weather to help avoid this kind of situation.
It’s also recommended that drivers use main roads if no snow has been plowed on your usual daily routes.
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