twicketface | Settle a discussion for me

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Settle a discussion for me

Marie and I were walking home from the Fellowship this morning and talking about avalanches. Marie claims that people who die in an avalanche die because they run out of oxygen. I claim that they die of hypothermia. I can't phrase my question into a search engine well enough to get back the answer I need.

Anyone?

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I'd say they'd die from their organs being crushed.

http://www.wemjournal.org/wmsonline/?request=get-document&issn=1080-6032&volume=012&issue=04&page=0244

Makes sense to me, but looks like 2/3rds do die due to suffocation
http://web.ask.com/redir?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftm.wc.ask.com%2Fr%3Ft%3Dan%26s%3Da%26sv%3Dz6f5372c3%26uid%3D085F5917E67AE9324%26sid%3D17F35C024189AD324%26o%3D10234%26qid%3D51D9582ED49A4C4294D4B2269116710C%26io%3D5%26ask%3Davalanche%2Bsuffocation%26uip%3D45512991%26en%3Dte%26eo%3D-100%26pt%3DParkland%2520XC%2520Ski%2520Club%252C%2520Avalanche%252C%2520Weather%2520and%2520Road%2520Forecasts%26ac%3D24%26qs%3D1%26pg%3D2%26ep%3D1%26te_par%3D195%26te_id%3D%26u%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.parklandxcskiclub.ab.ca%252fpages%252favalroadweather.htm&bpg=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.ask.com%2Fweb%3Fq%3Davalanche%2Bsuffocation%26o%3D10234%26page%3D2&q=avalanche%20suffocation&s=a&bu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.parklandxcskiclub.ab.ca%2fpages%2favalroadweather.htm&qte=0&o=10234&abs=It%20takes%20very%20little%20snow%20to%20bury%20a%20person%2C%20and%20since%20most%20avalanche%20victims%20die%20of%20suffocation%20not%20injuries%2C%20it%20behooves%20all%20back%20country...&tit=Parkland%20XC%20Ski%20Club%2C%20Avalanche%2C%20Weather%20and%20Road%20Forecasts&bin=&cat=wp&purl=http%3A%2F%2Ftm.wc.ask.com%2Fi%2Fb.html%3Ft%3Dan%26s%3Da%26uid%3D085F5917E67AE9324%26sid%3D17F35C024189AD324%26qid%3D51D9582ED49A4C4294D4B2269116710C%26io%3D%26sv%3Dz6f5372c3%26o%3D10234%26ask%3Davalanche%2Bsuffocation%26uip%3D45512991%26en%3Dbm%26eo%3D-100%26pt%3D%26ac%3D6%26qs%3D1%26pg%3D2%26u%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fmyjeeves.ask.com%2Faction%2Fsnip&Complete=1

That's the longest URL I've ever seen!

...can't it be both??

!!!ONE OF US MUST BE DECLARED THE WINNER!!!

Probably a combination of the two. I'm thinking that the pressure from all the snow does not allow for proper lung expansion which will eventually lead to asphyxiation, and the drop in body tempurature probably speeds the process of death.

"Most avalanche deaths are caused by asphyxiation"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/736005.stm

"Approximately 75% of avalanche deaths are due to asphyxiation; up to 25%, to trauma"
from http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/283/17/2266 (although you can't see the full text of the article there, i got that blurb from what showed up on the google search page)

"Although 25 percent of avalanche deaths are due to trauma, most victims asphyxiate."
http://www.snowmobile.ca/mha_internal/article.php?mode=flat&sid=107

"Most avalanche deaths are due to suffocation."
http://www.me.uwaterloo.ca/undergrad/482projects-w2004.htm

my google search was "avalanche deaths are" in quotation marks, heh.

Thanks! I was trying "avalaches cause of death suffocation or hypothermia dear god why won't you answer me" to no avail.

when i died in an avalanche it was because of a heart attack.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

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