Harsh December weather has caused many unexpected tragedies this holiday season.
Anndel Taylor, 22, has reportedly died after getting stuck in a blizzard that ripped through Buffalo, New York, over the holiday weekend.
ABC affiliate WSOC-TV reported that Taylor became a victim of the snowstorm while traveling home from work in Buffalo, where she expected to sleep out the storm in her car and walk home after.
“I don’t know if any of us really knew how serious it was; we didn’t see the news, we didn’t really know what was going on in Buffalo,” said Taylor’s sister, Shawnequa Brown.
According to the family, Taylor updated the family
group chat that her vehicle was stuck in snow that was continuously piling up. She shared a video of her car windows covered in thick white ice.“She was telling my sister that she was scared,” Brown said.
Taylor waited for first responders after calling 911, but the professionals could not reach her. She was found dead in her car, where family members predicted she was stuck for 18 hours.
“I feel like everybody that tried to get to her got stuck. Fire department, police, everybody got stuck,” said Tomeshia Brown, Taylor’s sister. “Why didn’t they have chains on their tires? This is a state that is known for snow.”
Wanda Brown Steele, the mother of the 22-year-old, believes her daughter suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.
“The car was running, and the snow was still coming, so it blocked the pipes, the exhaust pipe,” she said. “Then, after the car cut off, that’s when she iced up.”
According to People, Taylor is included in the estimates of over 20 victims that died due to the northeast storm, and around 50 people were reported dead nationwide.
Reportedly, Taylor’s death occurred soon before her 23rd birthday.
“A lot of crying, (she) still got presents under the tree,” Brown said.
A GoFundMe has been started on behalf of the family to cover services for Taylor.