Low temperature damage in cells can be divided into damage produced by three effects:
(i) low temperature
Homeotherms (warm blooded animals like us) may be seriously damaged if our core temperature falls even several degrees for a sustained period.
(ii) direct effects of freezing
Freezing, however, is often deadly. On the scale of organs, the formation of ice can cause mechanical damage by expansion, or rupture as pointed ice crystals grow through the tissue. Further, if the ice forms inside the cell, the cell almost always dies.