Woman Was 'Technically Dead' Surgeon Says.

Milwaukee, WI - A woman who was found frozen in a snow bank and near death is now fully alive and talking again thanks to the officer who found her and the doctors that fought to keep her alive.

Tia Ross was recovering this week from frostbite at the Waukesha Memorial Hospital, WISN-TV in Milwaukee reported.

"I was dead and he brought me back to life," Ross said.

The woman said she remembers celebrating her 25th birthday Sunday night. Ross spent an hour at the Lincoln Pub and had one drink.

She said that her companion eventually left and that the bartender made her leave because the pub was closing.

"First I asked the bar owner if he could find me a cab or drop me off because I didn't know where I was at because the guy that I came with never came back," Ross said.

The Milwaukee native said the bartender let her use the phone to find a cab, but she didn't know anything about the Waukesha area.

Ross said she stepped outside and wasn't allowed back in so she walked, flagging down cars for help, but eventually found herself at a used car lot.

"When I got to the car dealership I just felt my soul leaving. I just felt myself dying. I just laid there on a pile of snow and I was just hoping somebody would come find me," Ross said.

A Waukesha police officer found her in the snow bank Monday morning. Her arms and legs were frozen stiff. Doctors said Ross' body temperature was 73 degrees.

"Technically you could say, 'Yes, she was dead.' She had very little brain activity," surgeon Dr. Paul Seifert said.

After 90 minutes of resuscitation with a heart-lung machine, Ross was back to life.

"It was one of the most amazing things I've seen in doing this for 22 years," Seifert said.

Ross won't know for some time whether she'll use her hands and feet again.

"I have three kids. I have to, I have to have my legs. I have to have my hands," Ross said.

The bar's owner told the TV station he offered Ross money for a cab but Ross left and didn't come back until after 2:30 a.m.

The owner said that, by law, patrons are not allowed inside at closing.