A brave dad has tragically lost both of his legs after throwing himself in front of a snow blower to save his young daughters.
Dave Miln and his wife Clare were enjoying skiing lessons with his daughters Isla, three, and Anna, one, on 15 December when they were hit by the vehicle in Mammoth Mountain, California.
The brave dad proceeded to use his body to shelter his children and wife while he was sucked into the snow blower himself.
While Isla sadly was seriously injured, he managed to keep Anna entirely under him as he remained inside the machine for over an hour before he was rescued and taken to hospital.
The alarm was raised by his wife Clare, who like his youngest Anna, escaped unharmed.
Unbelievably, he remained conscious the entire time.
Christina Ackerman, the assistant to the chief of the Mammoth Lakes Police Department, confirmed to People that police responded to a call at 9.08am on Minaret Road near Mammoth Mountain.
Following the incident, Dave had to undergo a double amputation, while Isla, suffered breaks in both her legs and pelvis, but after also having surgery, she is expected to recover fully.
Dave’s legs were amputated above on the left and below the knee on the right.
Like his youngest, he also sustained other injuries, including breaking his femurs, pelvis, lower vertebrae, a sacral and three ribs..
This means that his surgical ordeal is sadly far from over and despite having 10 different surgeries in three weeks, he is expected to undergo more.
A GoFundMe has now been set up to help the family deal with the consequences of the accident.
As reported by the MailOnline, mechanical road snow blowers are mechanically or hydraulically driven, can weigh up to 1,000 lbs, and contain a corkscrew-esque blade that sucks up the snow before blowing it back out.
A GoFundMe update from January 11 read: “Dave has been medically transferred to Sydney, Australia but is still admitted in hospital. Clare, Isla and Anna are now back in Sydney where Isla is attending medical appointments several times a week..
“Together they will begin the long rehabilitation process both physically and mentally.”
While Dave had been living in San Diego, California, the family are now hoping to live in Australia, with family friend Tsen Bogan saying that their ‘California Dream has come to an early end.’
She added: “During this time Clare and Dave have shown strength and resilience beyond comprehension.
“The family has banded together with positive determination for the future. Many of us have been shaken by this news and [we are] searching for a way to support the Milns during this unthinkable time.”
