Never sleep in your car. This is why. 

The sad part of that particular storm is many people that died, died within sight of houses (not on a big highway or on a non populated stretch) but because if the dangers of strangers now a days many chose to stay in their vehicles instead of trying to walk for help, like going to someone’s door. It’s just sad that people were in distance of finding/getting life saving help/shelter but the caution we have to have with strangers caused many not to seek help and rather wait out the storm by themselves.

This is just like sitting in a running car while in a closed garage.

I’m from Buffalo and it’s common knowledge to keep your exhaust pipe clear. It’s also best to try and go to anyone’s residence and ask to warm up and find community shelters for the night. We have many “code blue” places to stay safe

As a prior homeless individual that had to sleep in the car in multiple winter states the very first thing you need to know is making sure your exhaust is clear. Of course, I had the advantage of a sleeping bag and lots of camping experience both as a scout and as a homeless person.

I live in Buffalo, I remember this. This is why during a blizard, no matter how tough you think you are, no matter how long you've lived here, if they tell you to stay off the roads, and you have any choice, you stay off the roads. You could be blocking emergency vehicles too

This is scary for me because it literally happened to me. I almost died that way. My family and I were on a trip and while on the highway they stopped to buy stuff at a souvenir shop so they locked the car with me still asleep there. The scary part is that when I woke up all was extremely hot, I felt like everything was wrong, I had difficulties breathing to a point in which I felt like if I was dying and on top of that when I try to move I'm not able to! I literally had my first sleep paralysis experience right there! You can imagine my panic, unable to breath locked in the car. At the time I focused only on moving one arm since I was scared and panicking. From that arm I tried to focus to one hand then to one finger and little by little I was able to edge my way to the door and finally I opened the door and went head first onto the hot paved road. The moment I was able to move that finger that's the moment by body was able to move again but I was too weak to move anymore, each breathing made my lungs ache but also helped me stay alive , when my family returned they saw me on the road next to the car on a pool of my own blood barely breathing and unable to move until a few moments later when I wasn't that tired. In the end I got stitches and my family didn't give a sh*t about me they could only scold me for something THEY did. Because, it wasn't hard to wake me up before leaving or at the very FEKKIN least open a window!

My dad was an auto mechanic. He always rode with the window cracked when using heat, ac or just driving. He said to have fresh air in the car always.

That sweet stranger who rescued Andell’s body and sat with her in her car is an angel. I hope they were rewarded with good karma. What a beautiful thing to do to sit with the body of someone else’s baby (I know she wasn’t a real baby, just go with it)

I remember this tragedy...RIP to those lost during the blizzard.

The fumes managing to get inside the cabin seems like a massive defect, especially if they then can’t get out. I’d expect if they can’t fix it for whatever reason that there’d be a carbon monoxide alarm at minimum.

Thank you for raising awareness to something I had no idea about

Ventshades are one of the best things you can get to keep a window down while keeping most of the weather out of the car, also blankets and a "go bag" with warm clothes to layer up if you are stuck in your car. A small shovel to clear out the back of the car is also nice to have but in a pinch use a scrapper or anything else you have that could be used to clear snow away from your car's exhaust and doors. But the most important thing to keep in mind if the weather is looking bad either stay home, or wherever you are coming from, there is nothing worth risking ending up in this situation.

I was also trapped in my vehicle overnight in that storm. It's not so much that we were unprepared, the roads were literally full due to the increase in travellers due to Christmas. They had to prioritize response to vehicles that were obstructing traffic. i.e. The good of the many out-prioritizing the good of the few. As unfortunate as it was for the few who couldn't be saved, it could have been so much worse. Also it should go without saying that she goes to the bottom of the list once they confirmed that she was frozen, there were still living people who could be rescued.

So sorry for her loss of life and her family’s pain. Thank you for for getting this information out to others who may not know about how to be safe in situations like this.

“And remember, keep your tailpipe cleared” Great Advice 👍🏻

6 minutes away from her house and 6 minute long video...

This is why you never sleep in a car when it’s running. Or at all if you can help it.

Brew videos are so great to watch in spare time.

This is beyond heartbreaking.

0:39 If you live in Buffalo, NY, one year. You may not know it's cold. If you stay 1 more year, it's on you.

I knew immediately as someone who slept in their car multiple times different temps but obviously never leave your car running

If you're ever stuck in your car. Even if it's cold. Do not let it idle. Otherwise this happens to you.

Never fall asleep with the engine running. Always keep a thick sleeping bag and blankets in the car in winter.

My first thought was “why was she required to go into work if there was a storm like this?” This story is so sad to me.

I knew right away, similar thing happened to some poor folks in a bottom hotel room near here. Vehicles were parked and running outside and the fumes and the fact they were sleeping ended up a deadly mixture. Now you can't park or idle cars like tgat, I believe it was at least 4 teens that passed.

This very common CoD in my country, Parking "Rear to Wall" also cause this. Parking and sleep with AC on also cause this due to lack of air flow. You don't have to stuck in snow for this to happens, be carful everyone.

I was dragged unconscious from a military tank poisoned from monoxide. Lucky AF my friends got me out.

If you're getting buried in snow in a situation similar to this, you've got to get out regularly and keep the tailpipe clear, even if you don't have a shovel or tools. Use something, anytime you can find in the car to move the snow, even your hands as a last request.

Walk the rest of the way.

I have relatives who live in Buffalo, but thankfully they were able to stay home and safe. I think one of the worst stories I heard was of a person who tried to transport their ailing relative to the hospital and got stuck and the relative passed away in the passenger seat. The person was trapped in the car with their dead relative for days. They, their relatives, and strangers kept posting on social media begging for help for this person, and finally they were able to be rescued and the relative laid to rest.

How do the exhaust fumes get into the car if you have it on air re-circulation?

☕@Brew, another engaging & educational story,very well done, THANK YOU! No telling how many lives in the future you've saved with this topic you've chosen! A fan in Minnesota🐺🌲🌨

I'm from Rochester NY and i remember this, so sad 😭

5:25 puts it into perspective. 47 people 'passed away' during that storm.

Would it be a crazy idea to put Carbon Monoxide detectors in the cars?

This is why in a snowstorm when emergency services can't reach you, you ask someone that lives nearby if you can stay with them instead of "staying in the car" where possible. She had a working phone and that person went there on foot, she easily could have got to safety. 2 hours was more than enough time to call someone local. She was not in the middle of nowhere there were buildings around her she should have asked for assistance. If it's not safe to drive it's better to seek shelter and wait it out. Prevention is better than crashing into another vehicle, falling into a frozen lake or getting stranded because you can't see. Likely she had came unprepared without a snow shovel, food or warm clothing which is why she should have reached out instead of staying in her vehicle.

Wow! I've never been this early. Love the return to the older art style ❤

yeah don't run the gas. That's why you keep emergency blankets.

Good work, New York. This is one for the "Catalog of Great Moments in Government".

6 minutes away from home and it took until morning for anyone to check the phone location? This is heartbreaking.

That is one hugh advantage to an EV. You don't have to risk getting out of the car to clear the tailpipe and you can keep the seats warm for days.

how could she have open her door and not get out and get help from the houses near

I lived in Minnesota for sometime and during one winter night I had tonsured in my car due to long commute. What I did is turn my car on and off from time to time instead of keeping it running while asleep which is dangerous! It wasn’t the refreshing sleep that one would want or need but still of good quality given the circumstances!

how would the exhaust fumes get back into the cabin? I don't think it is connected with the interior at all, through air vents maybe?

I hope most of us northerns knew the issue right away.

You would think that objects that emit carbon monoxide would require having carbon monoxide detectors in them...

I always carry a winter weight sleeping bag in my vehicle when travelling in the colder months. If I ever get stranded, I stay in the car and get in my sleeping bag and leave the engine OFF. I got stuck in a parking lot in Copper Harbor, MI (an area with heavy lake effect snow). The plow came through and I got out the next morning.

In this kind of temperate zone you should be carrying warmth gear (food and water, and mobile chargers!) in your car. You can warm the car, bundle up and turn the car off. You will stay warm all night in the coldest weather. You can warm the car up once or so through the night if you’re in the arctics but if you’re snow buried that will keep you warm without warming the car. The weather should eventually break and you should be able to clear the exhaust pipe. Until then learn how to fast…

So you mean to tell me that there was absolutely no one, not even law enforcement that could have picked her up? This is just sad

Either she froze or she left the car running and the fumes got her.🤦‍♂️ Sad, predictably preventable death, that poor family.

I'm glad Brew is back, hoping the others will also return 🤞🤞🤞

Probably an exhaust leak. Before the emission control at that. If the exhaust is actually plugged the engine will stop.

This is why you should always keep extra pair of warm clothes and some hiking/survival gear in your vehicle. Your odds of survival are allot better if you hike to safety in a blizzard than risk CO2 poisoning or freezing to death trapped in a car coffin.

My question is- If there was a family friend near the Area there, couldn't she just leave the car and go to their home for safety?

If I recall this case correctly - she had to work and didn't want to miss work so that's why she went out in that weather . Don't ever put yourselves at risk like that . If a job doesn't care about your safety - they don't deserve you as an employee . I understand as Ive been in healthcare for years and you are nearly mandated to show up even in bad weather . But I will not take that chance .

I remember that same storm here in South Dakota

I'm in Buffalo and was during that storm... it was brutal.

As soon as I heard snow storm, I thought carbon monoxide. We always have a blanket or quilt in the car, or a beach towel in summer. Helps in such cases.

It happen for me but i knew about it, so 6 months earlier i changed the location of the tail pipe same to my truck. In that day i opened the car for 19 hours and i stayed warm because i had jacket and a winter shoes working by electricity 😂 it kept me warm until the police came next day. By the way i had to forget, i had a gas in my car and i put it on the backseat, i keep this as emergency only, it helped me a lot. Do your preparation and it going to save your life when you need it

Buffalo New York.... I was in that blizzard. It was awful. Took hours to dig out my car. Fallen trees everywhere lots of people breaking into stores

How did a nurse not realize?

Can someone explain why it goes into the cabin and not just back into the exhaust system which has no direct connection to the cabin?

While living in places that see some bad snowfall, it's worth it to get an All Wheel Drive vehicle if you can. But still keep a shovel and maybe kitty litter in your car.

Not sure if cracking open the window would help as CO is heavier than air and stays low

I used to plow snow for a major roadway in the northeast. When I was on a 4 hour break, I used to sleep in my car. The only concern I had was that my tail pipes were clear of snow.

Trust me, Buffalo was not unprepared, just a few people believe that the rules don't apply to them. Like my neighbor who drove in the snow ban and totaled her car. It could have been much worse she got off easy

Well you destroy your engine if you let it idle for too long. Just turn on for a few minutes, warm up, turn engine off. Wait until it gets cold again. Repeat. And always have a little bit of ventilation

🙏 Safer & Healthier to leave a cm or two of window glass gap when parking or when waiting or sleeping in an enclosed airless car cabin! Wear appropriately according to the weather! Carbon Monoxide & Benzene poisoning are quite silent killers in a parked car! 🐕 🐈

"You coming in to work today?"

So was there an exhaust leak near the engine that caused the cabin's intake to take in CO?

The art looks amazing

I live in a winter wonderland. I carry a survival emergency kit in my vehicle during the winter. It has everything needed to survive in the cold. Carry clothes , socks , food ,water , heat source , sleeping bags, and signaling devices.

Always have a shovel in your car if you live someplace it snows. It can be the different between life and death.

If she rolled her windows down as an alternative or got out of her car, she never pass away in the first place. If I am that woman, I am better off rolling down my windows, getting my car keys then get inside the nearest place calling for help. Now how difficult is this?

In a blizzard? Sounds like a faulty, leaky exhaust system.

This is why I have a USB heated blanket.

Wow! Good information ❤

6 mins away at a mile a minute(60 mph) would only be 6 miles, I would of walked. I have walked 9 miles in a blizzard ok it took 3 hours and was sweltered when I got home, but I made back it easily. Gaz UK.

If you live in a place like Buffalo NY, good idea to keep a warm blanket in your trunk. Or, snow shoes. Either one would have been a lifesaver for the woman featured in this story.

I often go car camping and sleep in my car just for fun. However, i always leave a window open and never leave the engine running. Warm blankets on cold nights are usually good enough, if not, its not camping weather

I thought the beginning would go like this: "A 22 year old woman fell asleep in her car. This is what happened to her blood. A.T. presents to the emergency room [...]

In my mind I'm thinking, if you could open the door or windows why didn't you attempt to find other shelter?

Never sleep in a car without cracking the window*

Hugely important message!!

If you're going to sleep in the car, turn it off.

You almost never have that problem in Florida......

This is one of the reason Tesla EV is a much safer car. The air condition would run for days assuming you are responsible and not driving at 10% of battery

In other words, emergency services failed her. If this was someone more important this wouldn’t have happened.

I had a great uncle pass away from this, but he was in his garage

while the 3d animations were cool and could still have uses im super glad to see the 2d back

My question is A. If shes a 6 min drive from home why not walk? Sure it would be more like a 15 to 30 min walk but wpuld be safer than being stranded in a vehical. Especially if she would have passed by stores (and in Buffalo? Shed have passes by stores) B. Why not go to a store and shelter there until she can make it home. Car aint going anywhere til plows are ready to dig out streets. Get home/get somewhere safe

Worse, hot metal and snow should produce even more CO.

If you've lived somewhere cold your whole life you know, you ALWAYS double check. Even your furnace exhaust on your house.

Sleeping in your car is safe as long as your car is.

Don't sleep in a running car. But if you do, keep the windows down, at leats a little bit. But it's definitely better ro not have the car running, and it's not just a measure to save gas.

The thing is cars can get like an ice box because metal and glass get really really cold. So does the cement parking lot.

This did not have to happen.... Emergency services exist for a reason, even if they cannot come right away, they could at least offer guidance... I do not think I would ever dream of leaving the engine running and going to sleep...

natural selection at play i guess ! (a nursing student not knowing simple facts about CO2 asphyxiation and such , what are they teaching you in Murika's universities ???)

Always carry a blanket in your car in Winter …

I’ve slept in a car in summer with the engine never on. But that’s the only time.