In December 1980, in rural Minnesota, Jean Hilliard skidded off an icy road and crashed her car in sub-zero darkness. She tried to walk for help. Barely two miles later, she collapsed — just 15 feet from her friend’s front door. The temperature had fallen to –22°F (–30°C). Six hours passed before she was found. By then, Jean was frozen solid. Her skin was so hard doctors couldn’t insert a needle. Her pupils were fixed. Her pulse had dropped to 12 beats per minute. She was pronounced clinically dead. But instead of giving up, doctors did something simple.They wrapped her in electric blankets. Slowly, her body began to warm. Her heart strengthened. Her breathing returned. Later that same day, Jean Hilliard opened her eyes and spoke. She spent 49 days in the hospital — and then walked out. No brain damage. No organ failure. No lasting injury. Her case is now taught in medical textbooks as one of the most extraordinary examples of accidental hypothermia survival ever recorded.

In December 1980, in rural Minnesota, Jean Hilliard skidded off an icy road and crashed her car in sub-zero darkness. She tried to walk for help. Barely two miles later, she collapsed — just 15 feet from her friend’s front door. The temperature had fallen to –22°F (–30°C). Six hours passed before she was found. By then, Jean was frozen solid. Her skin was so hard doctors couldn’t insert a needle. Her pupils were fixed. Her pulse had dropped to 12 beats per minute. She was pronounced clinically dead. But instead of giving up, doctors did something simple.They wrapped her in electric blankets. Slowly, her body began to warm. Her heart strengthened. Her breathing returned. Later that same day, Jean Hilliard opened her eyes and spoke. She spent 49 days in the hospital — and then walked out. No brain damage. No organ failure. No lasting injury. Her case is now taught in medical textbooks as one of the most extraordinary examples of accidental hypothermia survival ever recorded.