NEW YORK — An 8-year-old Montana boy, who spent about an hour buried in snow after an avalanche roared into his backyard, says he tried to “lick and bite” his way out.
Phoenix Scoles-Coburn, of Missoula, told “Today” show host Matt Lauer on Friday that he doesn’t remember the moment the Feb. 28 snowslide hit him. He was playing outside with his 10-year-old sister, Coral, when they heard a noise:
“I looked back, and the tree was wobbling, so I ran, and the next thing I knew I was in the snow.”
Phoenix said he had a bit of an air pocket. “I tried to lick and like bite my way out because I was too close together to get my hands out,” he said. “Then I got so tired, I just fell asleep.”
Phoenix’s mother, Erin Scoles, said the avalanche sounded like an “airplane crashing in my ears.”
“I saw the avalanche hit them, and then I couldn’t see anything, and then I ran out the door and seriously, within 10 seconds, there was probably a dozen people with shovels,” she said. “Then a minute later, there were 50 people. It was amazing.”
Coral said she was able to quickly get herself out of the snow and ran to her mother. Phoenix suffered a laceration to his spleen and was hospitalized for two days.
