Small Child killed in roof avalanche April 4, 2017

Avalanche Details

Location: North Pole
State: Alaska
Date: 2017/04/01
Time: 1:30 PM (Estimated)
Summary Description: 1 resident partially buried-critical, later died
Primary Activity: Resident
Primary Travel Mode: Foot
Location Setting: Town/Settlement

Number

Caught: 1
Partially Buried, Non-Critical: 0
Partially Buried, Critical: 1
Fully Buried: 0
Injured: 0
Killed: 1

Avalanche

Type: R
Trigger: N – Natural
Trigger (subcode): —
Size – Relative to Path: —
Size – Destructive Force: —
Sliding Surface: —

Site

Slope Aspect: —
Site Elevation: —
Slope Angle: —
Slope Characteristic: —

Accident Summary

A 4-year-old girl trapped for eight minutes under snow that slid off the roof of her North Pole home died at an Anchorage hospital. “A large amount of snow broke free of the metal roof on the residence” as the girl stepped outside. Other residents found her hand about 8 minutes after the avalanche. She was buried under about 5 feet of snow, and was pulseless and not breathing. She was taken to the hospital and stabilized, but died two days later.

News article

Info found on avalanche.org, http://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?acc_id=635&accfm=inv