Janet He and Joseph Lu.Photo:abc7
abc7
Janet He fell about 200 feet down the mountain and survived the avalanche without any injuries.
He and her husband, Joseph Lu, shared withCBS News Sacramentothat they were on the mountain when the deadly avalanche barreled their way. She explained her husband was in front of her when the snow moved her feet, “took [her] away" and “swept [her] off the mountain."
As the snow buried her, she was unable to breathe and questioned whether she would survive.
He attempted to calm herself down and not panic. “If I panic, I use more air,” she recalled for CBS Sacramento. “I couldn’t pull myself up because the snow was so heavy on top of me,” said He. “I was buried, my face buried in the snow. I’m lucky I had the face mask, I had some air in the face mask.”
As she remained under the snow, Lu searched for her, but a stranger found and rescued He.
Placer County sheriffs walk toward the medical clinic at Palisades Tahoe on Jan. 10, 2024, in Tahoe, Calif.AP Photo/Andy Barron
AP Photo/Andy Barron
“And I don’t see her. I’m yelling and yelling. When I realized what may happen, it really struck me,” said He’s husband. “I was using my ski pole frantically punching everywhere and yelling her name.”
“He says, ‘No worries, I got you,'” said He. “I think that’s the best thing I ever heard in my life.”
After he extracted her, He said, “I survived. I could walk. It’s okay, I can walk down.”
Placer County sheriff vehicles are parked near the ski lift at Palisades Tahoe where avalanche occurred on Jan. 10, 2024, in Tahoe, Calif.AP Photo/Andy Barron
Once she was rescued, the two walked down the mountain with no injuries and reflected how lucky they were to be alive. “You realize time and life, how treasured it is,” said Lu.
“The risk is inherent,” Lu added. “We all know. We just need to respect the mountain, respect the risks associated.” The couple shared on Wednesday night that they were ready to hit the slopes when the resort reopens the mountain.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Wednesdayavalanche killed one person, injured another, and buried two more people — including He.
The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. in Lake Tahoe, Calif. at the Palisades Tahoe ski resort on the right side of the KT-22 chairlift.
source: people.com
