As the holiday weekend approached this December, so did one of the most terrible snow storms Buffalo, and much of New York State had ever seen. This Buffalo woman was stranded in her car for 18 hours before emergency responders finally found her. Sadly, she had already passed away. During the blizzard, she became one of more than 30 snow-storm-related deaths across Erie County, New York.
Woman Dies Trapped In Her Car From The Buffalo Blizzard
Twenty-two-year-old Anndel Taylor died over the holiday weekend after she got trapped in her car by the historic blizzard that buried all of Erie County, New York, in snow. She was apparently on her way home from work. Taylor sent a tragic video to her family before her death, letting them know that she was trapped in her car and showing the snow piling up around her. The city’s governor calls this blizzard a “once in a lifetime” weather disaster. (1)
After Taylor sent her family the video, they immediately began trying to help rescue her. They called emergency services to try and locate her, as well as put out pleas on social media to see if anyone could help. In the video, you can see snow building up around her car and hear the shrieking wind outside. Her mother says her daughter’s plan was to spend the night in her car to wait out the storm and then walk to safety the next morning.
“I feel like everybody that tried to get to her got stuck. Fire department, police, everybody got stuck,” said one of her sisters.
Her family, located in Charlotte, was unaware of the sverity of the storm. Taylor was apparently sending messages to one of her sisters telling her she was scared. Sadly, emergency services did not find Taylor in time. Eighteen hours later, they found her dead in her car. Her mother says that she believes that Taylor actually died of carbon monoxide poisoning rather than freezing to death. (2)
“The car was running, and the snow was still coming, so it blocked the pipes, the exhaust pipe,” she said. “Then after the car cut off, that’s when she iced up.”
A State Of Emergency
The region has called a state of emergency as more bad weather continues to pummel the area. Taylor was one more of an already 35 confirmed deaths related to the snowstorm. Fourteen people in the county died of exposure; three were found in vehicles, four died from having no heat, three from snow shoveling cardiac-related events, and three more simply because EMS services were unable to reach them. In the total area affected by the storm, they have recorded upwards of 70 deaths.
“Our police officers are human. It is painful to find members of your community that are deceased,” the mayor said of the police officers’ job searching for victims. “(some of the victims) were trying to walk out during storm conditions, got disoriented and passed away out in the street.”
A Ban On Road Travel
The region actually put a ban on road travel as the storm began, telling residents to stay in their homes and not attempt to go anywhere while this storm raged on. Unfortunately, either by necessity or otherwise, many people still went out in their cars. Hundreds of cars were stranded and buried in snow alongside roadways. Buses, ambulances, tow trucks, and even plows were buried and abandoned. They deployed the National Guard to rescue people from their cars and from homes without power, but still, many more remain trapped. The area apparently received 50 inches of snow in this storm alone. (3)
A Family Grappling With Loss
The family says that some anonymous people eventually responded to their social media posts saying they had found Taylor. Sadly, she had already passed. They then waited for some of their relatives who lived in Buffalo to come and get her. Her Buffalo relatives had also tried to come and find her previously but were unsuccessful. The family says that rather than laughter around their Christmas tree, there would now only be tears.
“(There has been) A lot of crying,” said one of Taylor’s sisters. “(she) still got presents under the tree.”
The family has started a GoFundMe page for their sister to help them bring her home to North Carolina and for the funeral costs.
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Sources
- “Buffalo Woman, 22, is frozen to death in her car after being trapped in blizzard for 18 hours while driving home from work as 50 inches fell during Christmas blizzard: State of emergency declared in city as another FOOT of snow predicted.” Daily Mail. Alex Hammer and Hope Sloop. December 28, 2022
- “Woman, 22, Dies After Getting Trapped in Her Car for 18 Hours During Blizzard: ‘She Was Scared’.” People. Abigail Adams. December 27, 2022.
- “Woman in Buffalo found dead in her car after getting trapped by snow, family says.” CNN. Â Sharif Paget. December 28, 2022.