Snoqualmie Pass, WA, February 5, 1996
Total burial, no injuries
A very close call occurred on Snoqualmie Pass as avalanches buried several
vehicles and completely buried one person outside their car under 6 feet of
snow for 29 minutes. Washington DOT plow driver Mike White saved a number
of lives with his quick thinking and on-sight command of the situation.
Unforcast high precipitation intensity and rain triggered a small
avalanche which blocked the road. One car ran into the debris and became 
stuck. Passengers from other cars got out to help push the driver out. A DOT
plow driver came upon the scene and quickly noticed that most of the
responsible avalanche path had not yet released. He advised the 30-or-so
people to return to their vehicles ASAP, but only about half of them obeyed.
Someone shouted a warning when they noticed that another section of the path
had released and all but three people scrambled out of the way. Three people
were buried, two partly and one completely, along with 4 vehicles. The other
people rushed back to the site and started digging for the completely buried
victim. 
A WSP Trooper and the plow driver knew that they were in a very dangerous 
situation and had to use strong language and some force to get the
people to abandon their rescue efforts. Two minutes after the area was
cleared, the largest portion of the slide released and completely burried
the vehicles and put even more debris on the still-buried victim. 
After trained avalanche rescuers arrived with probes they posted a guard 
and were able to locate the buried victim quickly under about 6 feet of 
snow. They estimated that he had been buried about 29 minutes. He was 
cold but otherwise unhurt. Being a snowboarder with some avalanche 
training, he immediately made a good air pocket which undoubtedly saved 
his life.
Washington DOT plow driver Mike White undoubtedly saved many lives through
his quick actions. As often happens in these situations, it was extremely
difficult to convince bystanders to move out from under avalanche paths as
our natural reaction is to rush to the aid of a buried comrad.