I Survived!

When faced with certain death, it takes bravery, determination, and plenty of luck. These people lived to tell their stories

- By Emily Landau and Jason Daley. Photographs by Kagan McLeod, Sam MacMillan and Cortesy

I SURVIVED A MUDSLIDE

SHERI NIEMEGEERS, 47,

AN INVESTMENT ADMINISTRATOR

It was a long weekend in May 2018 and my partner, Gabe Rosescu, and I were taking a road trip from my home in the city of Weyburn, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, to visit friends in Nelson, British Columbia. We are both adventurous, and we couldn't wait to go hiking and exploring. It was our first trip together, after six months of dating.

At around 5:30pm on Thursday, May 17, we were driving about 11 miles west of Creston, on a steep mountain road known as the Crowsnest Highway. I was texting updates to my family and enjoying the view. We weren't aware there'd recently been flooding in the area. When I looked up from my phone, I saw a wave of mud and an enormous tree barrelling down the mountain, right in front of Gabe's car, a little Hyundai Elantra. He tried to brake, but it was too late.

I looked at Gabe and we both said, Oh, shoot-under statement of the century. The mudslide sent our car plummeting nearly 300 metres down a rocky cliff. It landed on its side among some trees.

I don't know how long we were unconscious, but I woke up to the sound of Gabe moaning. He was slumped over the steering wheel, and there was blood everywhere. Outside my passenger window there was a steep drop. Every time I moved, I was hit with excruciating chest pain. I had broken my sternum, and my right ankle was smashed and practically turned backward. Gabe had broken his orbital bone, and nasal and cheek bones. Parts of his skull were crushed and his vision was damaged. But the body is an amazing thing, and somehow we were both able to crawl out of that wreckage.

THE BODY IS AN AMAZING THING SOMEHOW WE BOTH CRAWLED OUT OF THE WRECKAGE