'Tequila shots tonight, yuuuuuup': Minnesota college student, 19, may lose limbs after being left on porch for hours in the freezing cold 'following a night drinking'

  • Alyssa Jo Lommel, sophomore at University of Minnesota, is in 'stable critical' condition after spending nine hours unconscious on neighbors' porch
  • Temperatures in Duluth, Minnesota, dropped down to -18, with a -36 wind chill
  • The 19-year-old suffered severe hypothermia and tissue damage to her hands and feet
  • Her hands were three times their size with skin split from palm to finger
  • Student spent night playing drinking game with friends during which she lost several rounds and downed at least 10 tequila shots
  • Tweeted earlier that day: 'Tequila shots tonight #Yuuuuuup'

By Snejana Farberov

PUBLISHED: 10:05 EST, 11 December 2013 | UPDATED: 18:20 EST, 11 December 2013


A 19-year-old college student is facing the terrifying prospect of possibly losing her hands and feet after being found unconscious and suffering from extreme hypothermia on the porch of a Duluth, Minnesota, home.

Alyssa Jo Lommel was found by passersby Saturday morning after spending the night outside in subzero temperatures.

Duluth police say Lommel was at Regions Hospital in St. Paul Monday. Her condition was described as ’stable critical.’

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Frozen: Alyssa Jo Lommel, 19, was found unconscious by passersby after spending nine hours outside in subzero temperatures

Frozen: Alyssa Jo Lommel, 19, was found unconscious by passersby after spending nine hours outside in subzero temperatures

Lommel was dropped off by her friends outside her home in Duluth, Minnesota, after a night of drinking, but she somehow ended up on the porch of her neighbors' house

Lommel was dropped off by her friends outside her home in Duluth, Minnesota, after a night of drinking, but she somehow ended up on the porch of her neighbors' house

Frigid weather: Temperatures in Duluth had dipped to -16 to -18, with a -36 wind chill Friday night into Saturday

Frigid weather: Temperatures in Duluth had dipped to -16 to -18, with a -36 wind chill Friday night into Saturday

Police say Lommel, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota Duluth, was found unconscious on the porch of her neighbor's house just after 9.30am Saturday.

She had been dropped off at her home in Duluth at about midnight after reportedly spending a night with friends doing tequila shots.

Lommel's parents, Jay and Teri Lommel of St. Cloud, told the St. Cloud Times their daughter suffered significant damage to her hands and feet and could lose one or more of them.

 

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Temperatures in Duluth had dipped to -16 to -18, with a -36 wind chill Friday night into Saturday.

The student's mother, Teri Lommel, described her daughter's condition as 'very much a wait-and-see thing.'

'We are hopeful that her body will heal itself,' she told SC Times.

Dangerous condition: Alyssa Jo suffered severe injuries to her hands and feet from exposure, and her parents say doctors are fighting to save her limbs from amputation

Dangerous condition: Alyssa Jo suffered severe injuries to her hands and feet from exposure, and her parents say doctors are fighting to save her limbs from amputation

The parents have set up a page on the site CaringBridge.org offering updates on Alyssa Jo's condition.

Mrs Lommel wrote Tuesday afternoon that doctors have been testing the circulation in her limbs in order to reduce swelling and hopefully avoid amputation. 

The 19-year-old has already undergone surgery to restore blood flow to one of her arms, and she may require skin grafts to repair the damage to her extremities.

The Lommels also posted a note on the site thanking the couple who spotted their daughter lying on the porch.

‘We owe Alyssa’s life to you two. Our family cannot be grateful enough that you happened to see her,’ the missive read. ‘She could not have survived much longer out in the elements. You two will forever be in our hearts and prayers and we cannot thank you enough for what you did.’

On Friday, Miss Lommel, a sophomore majoring in psychology and sociology, posted a message on her Twitter account that said, 'tequila shots tonight.' It has since been removed.

According to Minneapolis Star Tribune citing a police report, the 19-year-old got home from work at around 5.30pm and had a bagel for dinner.

Party girl: Police say Lommel attended a party where she and her friends played a drinking game and she consumed at least 10 tequila shots

Party girl: Police say Lommel attended a party where she and her friends played a drinking game and she consumed at least 10 tequila shots

Premonition: Friday afternoon, Alyssa Jo tweeted that she was planning to have tequila shots that night

Premonition: Friday afternoon, Alyssa Jo tweeted that she was planning to have tequila shots that night

At around 10.30pm, she and a roommate went to a friend's house, where they played a drinking game with cards called 'ride the bus.'

The report states that the underage girl lost several rounds and had to take shots.

Police reported finding a Twitter message on Lommel's account stating: 'Yum Yum 10th shot of tequila,' Grand Forks Herald reported.

Her roommate told police that Lommel had been taking medication for an unspecified illness every day.   

At around 11pm, the sophmore was picked up by her friends, who drove her home and dropped her off outside her front door at 810 Woodland Avenue, but left without waiting for her to go inside.

Alyssa Jo's companions later told investigators that the 19-year-old was tipsy but not intoxicated to the point of falling down. She was said to have her keys and cell phone in her possession. 

Two of Lommel's roommates returned home a few hours later without noticing that the girl was not there. Neither reported hearing knocks on the door.

Then at around 9.30am the following morning, Ellen Johnson and her boyfriend, Sam Salo, were driving down the street when she spotted a woman lying on a porch and called police, Duluth News Tribune reported.

Officers who responded to the scene at 808 Woodland Avenue discovered Alyssa Jo lying unconsious on her right side.

Touch and go: Alyssa Jo's parents, Teri and Jay Lommel (pictured) have set up an online journal offering updates on their daughter's condition, which her mother described as 'wait-and-see'

Touch and go: Alyssa Jo's parents, Teri and Jay Lommel (pictured) have set up an online journal offering updates on their daughter's condition, which her mother described as 'wait-and-see'

She was wearing a coat and UGG boots, but no gloves, and her hands were three times their normal size, with skin split from palm to finger.

Officers followed Lommel's tracks in the snow around the house, showing that the college student made her way to the unheated garage, where she likely sought refuge from the cold for a while, fell down and then crawled back to the porch.

The house stood empty that night since its occupants, members of UMD women's basketball team, were out on the road.  

The UMD released a statement urging students to be careful in extremely cold weather, dress in layers, travel in groups and let people know when planning to go out.

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I am originally from Minnesota and went to UMD. The university does try to warn students about the dangers of drinking and cold weather, but Minnesota also has a huge drinking culture (maybe in part because of our long winters). When I was a junior, a young man died after drinking heavily, getting disoriented, and wandering around campus in the snow. In the weeks following, the university made a huge effort to remind students to be cautious, with one professor even bringing in "drunk goggles" so we could see from the perspective of someone with that student's blood alcohol content. I hope the story in this article serves as another reminder to students to be careful. One thing I don't understand is why the young woman went into a garage for warmth. Why wouldn't she go to one of her neighbor's houses? Minnesotans know the dangers of bitter cold and would open their doors in an instant to someone who was freezing outside.

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my co-worker's step-aunt makes $62 every hour on the internet. She has been fired for ten months but last month her payment was $16372 just working on the internet for a few hours. view it,,,, www.tec60.Com

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That'll learn ya!

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LIFE LESSON! At 19 SHE SHOULD HAVE LEARN...POOR GIRL Hope she makes it...

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Several of you wonder why her friends did not make sure she got inside the house??? Duh, I'm thinking they were probably too drunk to realize they should make sure she got inside the house.

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Stupid is as Stupid does. It is her own fault. Sorry but it's the truth. And BTW equally inebriated friends can not be relied on for safety.

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How about colleges and universities and ADULTS in general just tell minors NOT to drink. The word you are looking for is NO" Encouaging kids to "bundle up" is the equivelent of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

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Since drinking and purchasing alcohol is illegal for anyone under the age of 21, I'm pretty sure they don't need to tell them that. They know, the problem is they don't care.

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there is nothing wrong with drinking alcohol as long as it is done in a responsible environment, and in moderation. the alcohol isnt to blame, she is. she chose to go out and drink more than she should have, and her friends are dumb for not looking out for her, making sure she got inside first, and then making sure that she was safe in bed when they finally did get home. it is sad that it came to this, but people need to think twice, making a single dumb decision can lead to critical consequences - coming from another 19 year old girl all that said, i hope she ends up okay, and i hop her limbs are not too damaged where they need to be completely amputated. people, use common sense, it isnt that difficult

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So "UMD released a statement urging students to be careful in extremely cold weather, dress in layers, travel in groups and let people know when planning to go out" but says nothing about the dangers of chugging alcohol. Great school. I hope her body can heal.

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She is responsible for her own actions.. But any normal friend would make sure she got into her house okay.

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