The Story of a Woman Who Was Frozen for 6 Hours and Lived

Jean Hilliard, who, at the age of 19, in the small Minnesota town of Lengby on a cold December night in 1980, crashed her car into a ditch and, while attempting to get help, ended up freezing

L. Small
5 min readDec 10, 2022
Jean Hilliard. Source.

40 years ago, a woman survived nearly six hours in freezing temperatures. This is the incredible story of Jean Hilliard, who, at the age of 19, in the small Minnesota town of Lengby on a cold December night in 1980, crashed her car into a ditch and, while attempting to get help, ended up freezing!

Jean Hilliard claims to have had little recollection of the events of December 20, 1980. Hilliard, age 19, was driving on a remote road in Minnesota when her vehicle hit a patch of ice and skidded into a ditch.

She decided to leave the vehicle and go to find assistance.

Hilliard reached the front of her buddy Wally Nelson’s residence. Nelson was a cattle rancher in the area.

She tripped and fell to the ground. Hilliard then crept up to the front door on her hands and knees.

The following morning, Nelson discovered her in the front yard. Hilliard was solidly frozen with her eyes wide open.

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L. Small

"One arrow alone can be easily broken but many arrows are indestructible" ~Genghis Khan~