Wife Uses a Phone App to Find Her Husband That Was Buried By An Avalanche

When a Washington state woman hadn’t heard from her spouse, she became concerned. He had been skiing when she quickly tracked his location. In the end, the wife found her husband with an app—and thank God for that.

Man Gets Caught in Dangerous Avalanche

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Michael Harris had been skiing at Big Chief Bowl at Stevens Pass in Washington when an avalanche hit. His skis got caught between two rock slabs, and there was nothing he could do to fight against the onslaught of snow. He slid into a snow hole that kept him upright while he was completely buried.

"The sensation was being encased in cement," Michael said.

He could hear his phone ringing—his wife, Penny, calling him—but it was impossible for him to reach his Apple Watch or his phone, which was zipped in his pocket. So, he started to pray.  

"I’m a religious guy. I said God, I’m in trouble, I don’t know if anyone is going to know where I’m at, but I can’t get out of this on my own," he said.

Penny sensed something was wrong. 

Wife Finds Husband with App

"You get a feeling something’s just not right," she said. "I followed my intuition, saw his location, checked it a couple times, and saw it wasn’t moving."  

Penny then called the ski patrol and drove to Stevens Pass, where she waited for rescuers. Together, they used Penny’s phone to locate Michael under several feet of snow.

He was rushed to the hospital for hypothermia, pneumonia, a contusion to his lung, injuries to his kidneys, and a right tibial plateau fracture. 

“He had been down and covered by the avalanche for 4 hours. He was hypothermic with a temp in the high 70s/ very low 80s. Warm IV fluids were started and was quickly taken to the ER,” his daughter said. 

He’s now recovering well and is known to his family as “the miracle avalanche man.”

Survivor Grateful for Family and Technology

"I was inches away from the thing that could save my life, but I just couldn’t get there. And yet because she knew how to use 'Find My iPhone', I’m here today," he said.

“We are just blessed and happy,” Penny said. “I feel like I got a second life because I got him.”

“In that moment, the only thing I wanted was to see my wife of 30 years and my 4 kids,” he shared. “I didn’t care about anything else. You know, that’s a big takeaway for me, the things that matter, the things that we need to be focusing on. And so, they’re important to me, and they’re even more important to me now.”

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His daughter created a GoFundMe to help cover his medical bills, which is nearly at its $40,000 goal. 

It must have been the Holy Spirit that prompted Penny to check on Michael. After 4 hours in the snow, he came close to death, but thank God that he was found in time!

WATCH: Wife Uses a Phone App to Find Her Husband Who Was Buried By An Avalanche

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h/t: Fox News

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Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.