Shoveling Snow Turns Deadly

Shoveling snow has turned deadly for four men in metro Detroit.

A 76-year-old and a 62-year-old man using a snow blower and a shovel to clear snow passed out and were taken to Huron Valley Hospital, where they both died.

In Macomb County, a 54-year-old Warren man died, after shoveling snow. He was taken to St. John Oakland Hospital where he died.

And the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office says a 49-year-old Dearborn Heights man collapsed and died over the weekend, after shoveling snow.

While you've got to clear your driveway and sidewalks of all of that snow, it may not be advisable if you have heart disease or other risk factors for a heart attack. Henry Ford Hospital emergency room Doctor Ray Fowkes tells WWJ Newsradio 950 no one should take pain lightly.

"If you have any chest pain, even if you don't have a known history of heart disease, if there's any chest pain at all while you're shoveling snow, you should stop immediately and call emergency services because we do see a number of heart attacks every year from shoveling snow," Fowkes said.

In fact, Fowkes says 118,000 people nationwide are treated for injuries related to snow removal every year.

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