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Snowplow Bumps Into Buried Car In South Lake Tahoe, Finds Woman OK Inside

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) - A woman who authorities believe was living in her car was rescued after a snowplow inadvertently bumped into her vehicle, which was buried in snow.

South Lake Tahoe, California, city spokesman Chris Fiore highlighted the Feb. 17 incident in a Tuesday news release urging drivers to take safety precautions in winter weather. He said the city has had problems with illegally parked vehicles, which slows snow removal.

Fiore said the plow driver bumped into the car, popping open the vehicle's trunk. While shoveling around the vehicle to prepare for a tow, the woman put her hand on the window.

south lake tahoe buried car
A view of the car discovered by a snow plow operator in South Lake Tahoe, Feb. 17, 2019. (City of South Lake Tahoe)

"She wasn't trying to get out," he said Wednesday. "She wasn't making any noise."

The name of the woman was not released because police did not cite her for any violations, Fiore said. She declined medical attention and left and the vehicle was towed.

The woman said she'd been in the car for about five hours and seemed unconcerned about what could have happened had the snowplow not hit her vehicle, he said. The car's battery was dead and she couldn't roll down the windows.

"The truth is that this could have turned out very differently," he said.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press.

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