29-01-2025
Man dies of hypothermia in home, another dies in crash, Pennsylvania coroner says
CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees held a conference on Wednesday where he discussed two recent deaths in Central Pennsylvania.
The first death occurred after a man, Rober Procious, 59, froze to death in his residence on Village Street in the Moxham section of Johnstown. Lees said that his family called for a welfare check after going a week without hearing from Procious. The autopsy, which was conducted Monday, confirmed that Procious died from hypothermia with the cause of death being ruled accidental.
Coroner: Moxham man froze to death in home with gas, heat was turned off
The temperature of the residence was measured at 18 degrees Fahrenheit, with Procious's body temperature being 22 degrees, according to Lee. Procious, who was unemployed, had allegedly applied for assistance in the past but had been denied, his family noted. It was discovered that Procious had a gas furnace, however, it had been turned off.
'During these winter months, especially when we have extremely cold weather, please check on your neighbors and family members as often as possible,' Lees said. 'Especially when we are dealing with temps well below zero. It doesn't take long for your body to succumb to hypothermia.'
Procious's body was completely frozen when investigators found him Friday, Jan. 24, which required Lees to wait two days before performing the autopsy on Monday. Lees highlighted that Procious's death had come during a time that the area was going through a cold stretch that had dropped temperatures down to well below zero.
Lees stressed the importance of minimizing long-term exposure, even if the temperatures feel 'warm' when they hit 30 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter months. He highlighted that hypothermia starts when a core body temperature drops to 95 degrees and in some serious cases the hypothermia takes only 20 – 30 minutes to kill someone.
The second death occurred after Colin Keough, 18, of Latrobe, crashed head-on into a Suburban. Keough was flown by medical helicopter from the scene of the crash to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center where he died Tuesday, Jan 28 in the Intensive Care Unit, according to Lees.
Keough's cause of death was found to be multiple blunt force trauma to the torso, with his death being ruled accidental. He was the driver of a 1987 Porche, driving north in Ligioner Township on State Route 711 when he crashed head-on into a Chevy Suburban. Lees noted that the five children and the driver were taken to an area hospital and all released.
Lees noted that the roads were dry at the time of the accident. Toxicology has also been sent out for analytics, however, Lees said that it can take weeks to receive results.
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