Feb. 19--The death of a man Tuesday and that of a man in January have been attributed to cold-related causes, officials said.
There have been 20 cold-related deaths in Cook County so far this season, the Cook County medical examiner's office announced Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a homeless man between the ages of 41 and 50 years old was found on the sidewalk on the 3100 block of South Laramie Avenue in Cicero, according to Frank Shuftan, a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The man, who remained unidentified, was pronounced dead at 11:57 p.m. at MacNeal Hospital after being found at 11:12 p.m., Shuftan said. An autopsy determined that the man died of acute alcohol toxicity and that a secondary cause was cold exposure. His death was ruled an accident.
The death of the man in January has also been attributed to cold exposure, according to Shuftan.
Harvey D. Harmon, 53, was pronounced dead at 2:19 p.m. Jan. 12, Shuftan said.
Harmon, who was homeless, was found on the 11200 block of South Vernon Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood, according to the office.
The cause of death was hypothermia due to cold exposure, and a secondary cause was chronic ethanolism, Shuftan said.
Earlier this week, a Blue Island woman became the 18th person this winter to die of cold-related causes in Cook County, the county medical examiner's office said Monday.
Debra Togtman, 49, of the 14100 block of South Western Avenue in Blue Island, was pronounced dead at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at MetroSouth Medical Center. She was found in the 2200 block of 135th Place in Blue Island, according to the medical examiner's office.
After an autopsy Monday, the office determined Togtman died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease. A secondary cause of death was hypothermia due to cold exposure, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease a contributing factor in her death.
Last winter -- during which Chicago had record-breaking low temperatures -- 32 cold-related deaths were counted in Cook County from Oct. 24, 2013, through April 3, 2014, officials said.
