A family was buried alive in their SUV during a freak blizzard that was so bad, even rescuers had to wait out the storm before they could begin their search. INSIDE EDITION talks to the man who says they are all lucky to be alive.
A couple and their six-year-old daughter were entombed inside their SUV for two days under a blanket of ice and snow.
A photo shows what they experienced inside the car as they huddled together and tried to stay alive.
Dave Higgins, his wife Yvonne, and their daughter Hannah, were driving to a ski resort from their home in Texas when they hit a freak blizzard with white-out conditions outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dave Higgins talked to INSIDE EDITION's Paul Boyd via Skype:
"The rear end slid off the road down the incline," said Higgins.
Stranded just off the highway, they were soon buried under four feet of snow.
"By 8pm that night the snow was up above the roof of the car," said Higgins.
He called 911 but it was too dangerous to venture out even for rescuers, who had to wait for the storm to pass before launching a search.
"Fortunately, we had two sleeping bags in the car and our ski gear, so we were able to bundle up and cover up and keep warm that way," said Higgins.
The family also had plenty to eat with them, but they were buried alive and the oxygen inside the cramped space was running out.
Boyd asked, "Was there ever a moment when you and your wife looked at each other and thought, we might die down here?"
"My wife and I, we held hands and we looked at each other and we started realizing that we were in a bad situation. We just continued praying and letting each other know how much we loved each other and it would be okay," said Higgins.
Rescuers found alive them by using long probes to search the deep snow.
Boyd said, "A lot of people are looking at this story David, and saying this is a real Christmas miracle here."
"This has a happy ending. There are miracles still. And I believe it was the hand of god that guided those rescuers," said Higgins.
