Doctor: Duluth woman lost in cold was 'like a corpse'

Janice Goodger, 64, slipped in snow on the afternoon of Dec. 27 and wasn't found until hours later.

By , Associated Press

Last update: January 7, 2009 - 9:47 AM

DULUTH, Minn.— A 64-year-old Duluth woman whose heart stopped beating and body temperature dropped to a dangerous 60 degrees after she was stuck in the cold for hours has survived — and her recovery amazed doctors.

Janice Goodger slipped in snow on the afternoon of Dec. 27 and wasn't found until hours later. She was taken to St. Luke's hospital, but was near death. One emergency room doctor said her body was as cold as he's seen.

"She was ice cold," Dr. Chris Delp said. "She felt, literally, like a corpse." He said it appeared she couldn't possibly survive.

But days later, she went home and seems to be doing fine.

"I don't feel any different, except I can't yell anymore," Goodger said.

Goodger, who has rheumatoid arthritis, was caring for her daughter's dog on Dec. 27 when she slipped on a patch of snow and fell in her daughter's back yard.

Goodger's stiff joints kept her from getting up. She scooted on the ground toward her car, but couldn't get in. So, she wrapped a long scarf around her legs, pulled her coat around her body, and waited as it got dark.

The night was cold but not frigid. Still, Goodger was in the wet snow and continued to grow colder and wetter.

She said she thought, "Well, God, it's up to you" and waited. She then went unconscious.

Goodger's daughter came home and found her about 9 p.m. She was still breathing, and her heart was barely beating.

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