Latest news with #LyellCook
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Victim of fatal Summit Township van fire identified
(WJET/WFXP)– The Erie County Coroner has released the name of the man who died in a vehicle fire Monday night in Summit Township. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Deepak Pakhring, who immigrated to Erie from Bhutan, with Erie County Lyell Cook saying no foul play is suspected, but he was alive when the vehicle caught fire. PSP Erie investigating fatal car fire in Summit Township Crews were called to that vehicle fire around 9:46 p.m. near the crossroads of Pennbriar Drive and Schultz Road on Memorial Day, with the van in a ditch off the side of the road. No official cause of death has been ruled yet, with toxicology reports coming back in about six weeks, Cook told us. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
PennDOT: Traffic fatalities statewide decline in 2024 as crash deaths climb in Erie County
Traffic fatalities in Pennsylvania dropped statewide in 2024 over the previous year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. But Erie County's fatal traffic crashes climbed, according to data from PennDOT and the Erie County Coroner's Office. According to data released by PennDOT on May 1, 1,127 people died in crashes on Pennsylvania roadways in 2024, a decrease of 82 from the previous year. Notable drops were seen in areas including motorcycle fatalities, down 19 from 2023; pedestrian fatalities, down eight from the previous year; and fatalities in alcohol-related crashes, which dropped from 307 in 2023 to 244 in 2024, according to information in PennDOT's Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool. Areas where traffic fatalities increased statewide, PennDOT reported, include intersection crashes, which increased by 20 over 2023; and crashes at intersections with a stop sign, which increased by 13. Deadly day in Erie: 2 killed in car-motorcycle crash hours after fatal accident, shooting PennDOT's data listed 36 traffic fatalities in Erie County in 2024, up from 30 in 2023. It was the highest number of traffic fatalities in the county, as charted by PennDOT, since 39 traffic fatalities were recorded in 2010. Motorcycle and pedestrian fatalities remained the same in 2024 as they were recorded in 2023, according to the agency's data sheets. The most notable increase in PennDOT's data for Erie County was in fatalities at intersection crashes, which climbed from six in 2023 to 17 last year. The Erie County Coroner's Office investigated 23 motor vehicle deaths in 2024, up from 18 the previous year; 13 motorcycle deaths, up from 12 in 2023; and six pedestrian deaths, down from eight in 2023, according to Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook and data his office previously released. The Erie Bureau of Police is about to employ new tools to help combat speeding, a common factor cited by city police accident investigators in fatal crashes. Police Chief Dan Spizarny said the bureau recently purchased three portable speed signs through federal grant funding, and the police will post those signs in certain areas to track the flow of traffic and speed of motorists. The signs, which utilize radar, will flash to motorists the speed they are traveling as they approach and pass the signs. But they will also capture data on the number of vehicles traveling through the area and the speeds those vehicles are traveling, to help in determining which areas police may target for enforcement, Spizarny said. Please enable Javascript to view this content. "We can't write a ticket based on the radar because we are not allowed to, but it gives us information and lets us know what we are seeing on blocks as far as traffic and speeds," he said. The signs are expected to be put on display at an upcoming news conference in which Erie police and PennDOT will announce an aggressive driving campaign, according to Spizarny. Various other traffic enforcement efforts conducted by Erie police will continue, officials said, including enforcement of school zones and addressing speeding complaints in neighborhoods. Erie police are also continuing specialized patrols along East 38th Street, an enforcement effort launched in 2024 in the wake of two serious traffic accidents along the roadway. Pennsylvania State Police troopers will again assist Erie police in the East 38th Street targeted enforcement effort, said Lt. Gary Garman, patrol section supervisor for state police Troop E in Lawrence Park Township. More: Erie police charge city men with street racing on East 38th that led to serious May crash Garman said troopers will also do a number of other traffic enforcement details in the Erie region, as they regularly do each year. They include a Click it or Ticket campaign over Memorial Day and at least 13 DUI checkpoints the troop does each year, he said. Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@ Follow him on X @ETNhahn. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Despite drop in traffic deaths statewide, Erie County's 2024 deaths up
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Erie County's drug deaths, while still high, dropped by 40% in 2024 over previous year
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced May 14 that, based on data, predicted drug-related deaths nationwide decreased by nearly 27% over 2023 on average. The news was a little better closer to home. According to 2024 Erie County death statistics recently released by county Coroner Lyell Cook, there were 73 drug deaths in the county last year, down 40% from the 122 drug deaths in 2023. It was the lowest number of drug-related deaths in the county since 59 were recorded in 2015, the first year Cook highlighted fatal overdoses as a separate category in his annual statistical reports released to the media and others. There have been 19 drug-related deaths in the county, through mid-May, so far this year, according to Cook. More: Officials optimistic, but say more work needs to be done, as Erie County drug deaths fall Drug-related deaths in Erie County had grown steadily between 2010 and 2015 before jumping to 80 in 2016, when Cook first listed fentanyl as a contributor in 40% of those deaths. Drug deaths spiked to a record-124 deaths in 2017, and although the numbers fluctuated since then the percentage of fentanyl-related deaths continued to climb from 54% in 2017 to 62% in 2018, 75% in 2020, 80% in 2021 and 84% in 2022, according to Coroner's Office data. Fentanyl's involvement slipped to 83% in 2023 and to 71% in 2024, while cocaine's involvement grew from 24% in 2023 to 30% last year, according to Cook's figures. The CDC, in its May 14 statement on the provisional 2024 overdose death data, stated that since President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency in 2017, congressional support has enabled the agency to expand critical data systems and strengthen overdose prevention capacity across all states. Those investments empowered the CDC to rapidly collect, analyze and share actionable data, enabling communities to better understand the specific drivers of overdose in their areas and tailor prevention strategies to meet their needs, the agency reported. Despite the improvements, according to the CDC, overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans 10 to 44 years old. Cook, in his annual reports, does not break down the leading causes of death for different age groups, but stated in his 2024 report that the age range of fatal overdose victims in Erie County was 17 to 66 years old, with more than two-thirds of the victims male. The age range narrowed from 2023, when Cook said the victims were between 15 and 80 years old. PennDOT: Traffic fatalities statewide decline in 2024 as crash deaths climb in Erie County Among the other types of deaths in Erie County that decreased in 2024 over the previous year, according to Cook's data, were homicides, which dropped from 17 in 2023 to 14 last year; and suicides, which decreased from 51 to 36 in 2024. Accidental deaths involving pedestrians also decreased, from eight in 2023 to six in 2024, while fatal motorcycle accidents increased by one to 13 and the number of motor vehicle deaths increased by five to 23, according to Cook's data. Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@ Follow him on X @ETNhahn. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County's 2024 drug deaths down by 40% from 2023
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
PennDOT: Traffic fatalities statewide decline in 2024 as crash deaths climb in Erie County
Traffic fatalities in Pennsylvania dropped statewide in 2024 over the previous year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. But Erie County's fatal traffic crashes climbed, according to data from PennDOT and the Erie County Coroner's Office. According to data released by PennDOT on May 1, 1,127 people died in crashes on Pennsylvania roadways in 2024, a decrease of 82 from the previous year. Notable drops were seen in areas including motorcycle fatalities, down 19 from 2023; pedestrian fatalities, down eight from the previous year; and fatalities in alcohol-related crashes, which dropped from 307 in 2023 to 244 in 2024, according to information in PennDOT's Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool. Areas where traffic fatalities increased statewide, PennDOT reported, include intersection crashes, which increased by 20 over 2023; and crashes at intersections with a stop sign, which increased by 13. Deadly day in Erie: 2 killed in car-motorcycle crash hours after fatal accident, shooting PennDOT's data listed 36 traffic fatalities in Erie County in 2024, up from 30 in 2023. It was the highest number of traffic fatalities in the county, as charted by PennDOT, since 39 traffic fatalities were recorded in 2010. Motorcycle and pedestrian fatalities remained the same in 2024 as they were recorded in 2023, according to the agency's data sheets. The most notable increase in PennDOT's data for Erie County was in fatalities at intersection crashes, which climbed from six in 2023 to 17 last year. The Erie County Coroner's Office investigated 23 motor vehicle deaths in 2024, up from 18 the previous year; 13 motorcycle deaths, up from 12 in 2023; and six pedestrian deaths, down from eight in 2023, according to Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook and data his office previously released. The Erie Bureau of Police is about to employ new tools to help combat speeding, a common factor cited by city police accident investigators in fatal crashes. Police Chief Dan Spizarny said the bureau recently purchased three portable speed signs through federal grant funding, and the police will post those signs in certain areas to track the flow of traffic and speed of motorists. The signs, which utilize radar, will flash to motorists the speed they are traveling as they approach and pass the signs. But they will also capture data on the number of vehicles traveling through the area and the speeds those vehicles are traveling, to help in determining which areas police may target for enforcement, Spizarny said. Please enable Javascript to view this content. "We can't write a ticket based on the radar because we are not allowed to, but it gives us information and lets us know what we are seeing on blocks as far as traffic and speeds," he said. The signs are expected to be put on display at an upcoming news conference in which Erie police and PennDOT will announce an aggressive driving campaign, according to Spizarny. Various other traffic enforcement efforts conducted by Erie police will continue, officials said, including enforcement of school zones and addressing speeding complaints in neighborhoods. Erie police are also continuing specialized patrols along East 38th Street, an enforcement effort launched in 2024 in the wake of two serious traffic accidents along the roadway. Pennsylvania State Police troopers will again assist Erie police in the East 38th Street targeted enforcement effort, said Lt. Gary Garman, patrol section supervisor for state police Troop E in Lawrence Park Township. More: Erie police charge city men with street racing on East 38th that led to serious May crash Garman said troopers will also do a number of other traffic enforcement details in the Erie region, as they regularly do each year. They include a Click it or Ticket campaign over Memorial Day and at least 13 DUI checkpoints the troop does each year, he said. Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@ Follow him on X @ETNhahn. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Despite drop in traffic deaths statewide, Erie County's 2024 deaths up
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Fatal Millcreek fire victim identified
The victim who died in the fatal Millcreek fire on Easter Sunday has been identified by the Erie County coroner. According to the county coroner, Lyell Cook, the victim was identified as 79-year-old Judy Jackson of Erie. Fatal Millcreek fire remains under investigation Cook said the cause of death is pending due to the toxicology report. The fire chief of Millcreek Township, Michael Cliff, said initial calls for the fire on South Park Lane were for smoke coming from the windows. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
