“I could still see light and then all of a sudden the rest of the avalanche came down and just buried me,” Jason Parker, one of the victims, tells Inside Edition.
One man died and his three companions survived after an avalanche buried the four skiers at Palisades Tahoe, a ski resort in California, hours after forecasters warned of heavy snowfall.
One of the victims, 52-year-old Jason Parker, spoke with Inside Edition.
“It had flipped me onto my belly and I started going down head first and all I could think about was just keep swimming, get above that avalanche,” Parker says. “I could still see light and then all of a sudden the rest of the avalanche came down and just buried me.”
Other skiers worked the dig the buried skiers out of the snow. Rescuers with search dogs joined the search.
“My right arm was still able to move and I just remember punching a hole in front of my face to create an air pocket,” Parker says.
The 52-year-old says he began to lose consciousness.
Rescuers used ski poles to dig out the snow.
“At one point I felt this prod hit the middle of my back. It jarred me and I just remember regaining consciousness and going, ‘Oh shoot they’ve got me.’” Parker says.
Rescuers applauded as Parker was found and he stood up for air. He says he knew he only had a few minutes left before it was too late.
Some skiers carry an anti-avalanche device. It includes an airbag that explodes and stops someone from being crushed to death by snow.
The National Ski Areas Association says around 42 people are killed on slopes every year.
