Eats through snow to car
Local man Anthony Rosen was found unconscious in his front yard after attempting to travel through several feet of snow to reach his car on Monday morning. Due to the severe winter storm the night prior, three feet of snow had piled in Rosen’s front yard, making it impossible to reach his car and drive to work. Rosen, 36, said it was especially important he got to work that day, as his job is driving a snow plow for Pete N’ Plow Plowing services in Ithaca, NY.
“I was already running late, and my shovel broke after last week’s storm,” Rosen said from the hospital. “I did what any man loyal to his career would do.”
Rosen claimed to have tried “absolutely everything” in an attempt to reach his vehicle, and at first attempted to scoop the snow with his bare hands. Rosen said this process was too slow, as he had forgotten one of his gloves inside.
On his second try, he violently kicked at the snow pile in an attempt to form a tunnel, but to no avail. Rosen said he then attempted to use his wife’s hairdryer to melt the snow, but the length of the cord only allowed him to reach just past the doorstep. These attempts eventually led Rosen to his final resort: eating his way out.
Rosen had eaten through a few feet of snow before fainting, due to mild water intoxication and hypothermia. He had also used various forms of hot sauce to pour on the snow as he was eating it. He was found less than an hour later by neighbor Marta Schubert, who rushed him to the hospital immediately.
“I would have been more than happy to lend my shovel, had he asked,” Schubert said.
Rosen has since addressed what he feels was his biggest mistake, which was focusing on clearing the width of his yard, rather than creating a direct path to his car. He said next time it snows, he will keep things more direct to avoid future injuries. He also plans to have a larger supply of hot sauce stocked up.
“The hot sauce helped with melting the snow and giving it flavor,” Rosen said. “If I had more of that stuff, I probably wouldn’t be in this situation.”
The Rosen family is currently being faced with an outrageous hospital bill to cover the cost of treatment, but they have stressed that money isn’t of any concern as long as their beloved Anthony is safe at home.
A gofundme has been started to raise money for a new snow shovel for Rosen, which can be found using this link: gofundme.com/shovels4anthony.
Phoebe Harms is a second-year writing major who likes to season their snow with cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Reach them at [email protected].