Family experiences avalanche drama on Christmas Eve, then fingers stick out of the snow

Two brothers and their father were snowmobiling on Christmas Eve when they were hit by an avalanche. One of the men was swept away and buried about 150 meters away from “Fox 13” – but he was lucky in misfortune. The incident occurred in Cache County, Utah.

Man ‘watched the avalanche sweep away his older brother’

According to the Utah Avalanche Center, one of the brothers triggered the avalanche and “watched it sweep away his older brother.” The father was below the avalanche and was unable to reach his son.

Using a radio, the unharmed brother managed to get close to the buried victim, writes “Fox 13”. Eventually, “he could see a few of his brother’s fingers sticking out of the snow and was able to dig him out,” said Toby Weed, a meteorologist with the Utah Avalanche Center.

The men had the necessary equipment for their projects. The victim broke his leg in the incident.

Avalanche accident: What is the chance of survival?

Thomas Bucher from the German Alpine Association (DAV) says: “Being buried by an avalanche is the greatest possible catastrophe – it means the greatest danger to life.” The most common cause of death for avalanche victims is suffocation. Even if you survive the avalanche without life-threatening injuries, there is a high risk of being buried under a thick blanket of snow with no fresh air supply.

The enormous weight of the snow usually makes it impossible for those buried to free themselves. Survivors repeatedly report that the snow regularly covered them in concrete.

Experts emphasize that the chances of survival decrease significantly after the first 15 minutes. This time window is usually too short, even for rescue teams with helicopters and search dogs. It is therefore crucial that the companions have the necessary equipment and know how to use it in an emergency.