Four-Hour Ordeal: Wisconsin Snow Plow Buries Man Alive

Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:03am by Meredith Jessup
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Last week, Joe Latta ventured out to the end of his driveway during a blustery Wisconsin blizzard to retrieve his mail. Little did he know, the short trek would nearly cost him his life.

While Joe tried to get his mail, he stumbled into a snow bank, unable to free himself. But things got much worse when a snow plow passed by, pushing a mound of snow on top of him. According to KZTV10, he laid there, buried head-to-toe in snow, for four hours before an uneasy feeling spurred a neighbor into action.

Betsy Nelson says she looked out her window and thought she saw a small animal burrowing in the snow. “I thought something is not right. I just didn’t have a good feeling,” she said. She called her neighbor, off-duty firefighter Todd Herrington, who went to check it out, discovered Joe and began digging him out.

After returning home from the hospital, Joe humbly characterized his ordeal “fairly frightening.”

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Comments (38)

RoAdFiXeR
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:48pm
man there is nothing better than catching that idiot out shoveling the end of his driveway (even though the road hasn‘t been plowed yet and of coarse he’s throwing the snow into the street) and if he’s got his back to me just blow the air horn (some timing involved) he’s spins around just in time for a wall of nice wet snow right to the kisser…..
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1776Federalist
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 2:40pm
“Luke, trust your feelings!” I have found that to be a good piece of advice for all of us. The spirit whispers to us. Are we listening? How often have you had a bad feeling about something, or felt you should do something, and then found it to be true later?
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Lt_Taz
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 2:38pm
MAULEMALL, there is nothing as pityful as an agnostic facing the “Grim Reaper”
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LLATPOH
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 1:08pm
I might take heat for this, but most snow plow drivers – in my experience – don’t know the meaning of the word “safety,” except that it means the QB got pushed back into his own end zone.

They’re practically worshiped as heroes here in WI, and yet they’re given free passes when they endanger lives and property.

“Oh, but they’re out in blizzard conditions clearing our roads!” Yeah, and you should see the paychecks they draw for it.

Jaded? You bet. I’ve seen the damage that can be done firsthand by a team of plows, in the form of mailboxes getting repeatedly destroyed, and people getting buried alive because these clowns want to finish their route fast.
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cranberry
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:16am
Thank goodness for nosy neighbors!
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Hephzibah
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 9:55am
Thank God for this man’s life! I‘m speechless at some peoples’ childish replies. I hope they never have to experience arthritis or other situations that cause the horror of “I‘ve fallen and I can’t get up”. I‘m sure it’s very real and not at all funny.
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psst
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 9:49am
I’m glad this guy is alive.
But! I think he should drop a law suit on alBore.
alBore guaranteed 10 yrs ago that snow would be a thing of the past here in ameriKa.
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Augie Dog
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:30am
MAULEMALL my wife always told our children “If you don‘t have any thing good to say don’t say anything at all” Do you get my drift??
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- mdlwoods
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:29am
  I think Maule didn’t get to see Bambie as a child. Was deprived of those life lessons that Disney instilled in most of us.
  Report Post »
RightPolitically
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:44am
Global Warming rears its ugly head once again. They should have forced Al Gore to dig the guy out!
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Psychosis
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:37am
how the he double L do you fall over and get stuck in a snow bank ? really, go over to a big snow bank at the end of your driveway and try it……………..impossible

the snow at the end of a shoveled driveway is compacted, not like the snow in a drift or the epic snow in the rockies…

this guy has to have some issues to just fall over and get stuck in that stuff

was he old? was he sick? handicapped? come on guys, a little more information is needed here, because there isnt enough information to know if this guy was a darwin award winner and i should laugh, or if he was somewhat disabled, and someone else should have got his mail

gah, so disappointed in our journalists today
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- bikerr
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:09am
  Ah, Do you really want to suggest that it didn’t happen?. or blame it on lack of facts?. If you knew the force in what a snow plow has you would not question it. Try shoveling a huge amount of snow after a plow comes thru and you’ll then understand.
  Report Post »
- rray
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:16am
  Some one got up on the wrong side of the bed.
  Report Post »
- Eino
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 8:31am
  This is not at all impossible. Average yearly snow where I am is 185 “, 15 feet plus. When you clear your driveway the piles on either side combined with the what ‘The Big Plow’ leaves get tall enough by the end of winter to hide traffic on the road in front of my house.
  In big snow country strange happenings. Many years the piles of moved snow get tall enough that warnings are put out to keep kids from playing on the plies because the tops are so close to power lines.
  The ‘Big Plows’ go at such a speed at times that they have sandblasted the address off my mailbox. If you happened to be out at the road when it went by it could definitely bury you.
  Report Post »
- SueDinNY
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 3:55pm
  Alcohol comes to mind, unfortunately.
  Report Post »
- Psychosis
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:03pm
  to those who responded
  
  the snow bank at the end of his driveway is not the soft fluffy stuff you fall into and get stuck shovel your driveway and then try to “fall” into it
  you cant because its compacted
  
  can a snow plow plow you in? sure im not contesting that, i am contesting that he “fell” into the snow to begin with
  
  something else is missing from this story………….that is what i am contesting
  
  and i know all about snow…………….i am from within the artic circle, and am used to yards, not feet of snow falling this wasnt a snow drift that is non compacted, or a virgin snow pile which remains uncompacted
  
  my angst is mainly directed at the shoddy reporting prevalent in our news agencies
  Report Post »
Ray2447
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:23am
If I laugh at any human thing, tis that I may not cry.
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Ray2447
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:19am
Suddenly, the term “snowman” takes on a ghoulish aspect. I‘m glad Joe is okay and hope he’s more careful when he goes to get his mail.
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DagneyT
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:16am
God at work. Praise you, Lord God!
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- bikerr
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:04am
  @ Ironmaan—-Why don’t you ask him?.
  Report Post »
dodgerbaseball
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:13am
I feel horrible for laughing so hard! Oh my gosh, this is nuts!
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- Buckaroo
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:25am
  Everyone survived, so ..
  
  .. it is RECOMMENDED to laugh!
  :-)
  Report Post »
- PA PATRIOT
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:17am
  A similar accident happended near my home, but the person to be “plowed under” was not so lucky. The gent was sleeping in his car because the electric in his home was lost due to the storm. SO the gent gets in his car parked at the end of his driveway and low and behold, was plowed in. He could not get out and died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Sad story.
  Report Post »
grannyjojo
Posted on February 8, 2011 at 6:12am
The Lord was with this gentleman….and kudos to his astute neighbor who essentially saved his life. God bless all.
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- MAULEMALL
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:09am
  Well…. Ok……
  So your saying that God wanted to bury this guy???
- Dustyluv
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:10am
  Just what the Unions are doing to all of us…but we won’t survive…
  Report Post »
- MAULEMALL
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:14am
  So… Well … Your saying God wants a union??
- grandmaof5
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 9:52am
  MAULEMALL, no we are saying, “God wants us to pray for you” because your posts indicate that you need it – desperately. We are worried that perhaps a blow to the head has caused you to post such ridulously ignorant comments when you should really be worried about Arianna not sharing her wealth with all her underlings. You realize, of course, that she is really a selfish capitalist who is laughing at you all the way to the bank. You poor disilllusional treeple (that’s troll, sheep and people for those wondering) who are being scammed by the best – the chameleon capitalist, the one that changes back and forth depending on how stupid their underlings are.
  Report Post »
- PA PATRIOT
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:22am
  BLAZE
  Thanks for removing MAULEMALL’s obnoxious and vulgar post to Grandmaof5
  Report Post »
- MAULEMALL
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:28am
  Another phoney patriot
  Report Post »
- PA PATRIOT
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 10:43am
  @ MAULEMALL
  Insulting your foe is not a display of courage.
  Actually the act is inherent in coward.
  Report Post »
- grandmaof5
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 11:06am
  PA PATRIOT, thanks, missed that one. Just shows I hit a nerve. Have a good one.
  Report Post »
- MAULEMALL
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 2:11pm
  Im gonna pray for all yall..
  Lord,. Please save us from the “patriots” and the “grandmas” who feel the need to Pray
  
  Let them come to realize that in their self rightious ignorance they are boreing the crap out of us sane people.
  
  And further Lord,,, Let granma and phoney find a room so that thier love will bloom and they won’t have to just lust in thier heart,,,
  Like jimmy carter…
  
  We ask this in Jesus name
  Amen
- grandmaof5
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 4:14pm
  MAULEMALL, well you know which words to capitalize so I guess your mamma dragged you kicking and screaming to church at some point in your life – good for her! And I guess “ya’ll” is from the south somewhere which means somewhere deep down you are probably and okay person just trying to earn a living. If this site is so boring I would suggest you go visit Huffpo and gush over their stories and bloggers, they are bound to be more to your liking. By the way, does your mamma know you disrespect your elders? Did you miss the memo that southerners are gentlemen and gentleladies?
  Report Post »
- 1proudAmerican
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:29pm
  MAULEMALL’s ignorance is not only obvious in his lame posts, it’s also obvious in his spelling (boreing, granma, thier, yall, your instead of you’re) He’s not worth listening to.
  Report Post »
- MAULEMALL
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:31pm
  1proudretardedAmerican
  
  And yer little dog too…
  Report Post »
- 1proudAmerican
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 5:35pm
  Maulemall – funny how you can spell retarded right. Get a lot of practice, did you?
  Report Post »
- kindling
  Posted on February 8, 2011 at 7:51pm
  MAULEMALL
  The Lord did not bury the man…..he spoke to someone that got him out. You have so much to learn.
  Report Post »

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