The recent cold snap has done more than make the short walk from building to car a burden. At least 21 people across the Midwest have died as a result of the frigid temperatures. Most recent was the death of Gerald Belz, a freshman at the University of Iowa. The cold made sure classes were canceled at Iowa for a few days, but his parents decided they didn't want him to risk driving the 1 hour route home with his troubles at getting his truck to start. Early Wednesday morning, a police officer found him unconscious by a campus building and rushed him to a hospital where he passed away. It is predicted the temperature was -51 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chill when Belz was venturing outside and investigators believe his death was caused solely by hypothermia as he didn't have any alcohol in his system. The bitter weather had already frozen many people to the point of death, cases ranging from people trying to shovel snow to one woman whose thermostat simply malfunctioned in her apartment. The weather also indirectly played a role in other deaths, like multiple car crashes due to ice and one fatality due to being hit with a snowplow. Currently, an autopsy is being done as the investigation continues to pinpoint the exact details of the incident. The weather seems to be looking up for a while here in the Midwest, but forecasters predict it will be the Northeast hit hard with the cold next.
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Questions
1. Since it's only inferred that Belz's cause of death is from the cold, do you think there could be a different reason for why he was found facedown and unconscious outside a campus building?
2. Have you had any notable incidents with the cold weather and/or snow this winter season? If not, what precautions are you taking against frigid conditions besides a heavy coat, if any?
My answers-
I agree with the investigators that Gerald probably only froze to death, but since he was so close to a building I think there might have been something else that happened, especially if he was walking out of that building instead of trying to get there. The only problems I've had with snow and ice is trying to get up my driveway because it's uphill and at one point it pretty much just became an ice rink so our cars slid all over the place or didn't make it up at all.
Replies
Great job Casey!
He may have been been impaired or had a medical event that caused him to not be able to make it inside. I started to have the back end on my truck spin around last week while i was turning at a stop sign, but I put it in 4wd and was fine.
I think that there is a reason he was facedown passed out. Why would he be outside long enough on purpose to pass out? Maybe someone else was involved. I haven't had any notable incidents with the cold.
Somebody else's post was a good idea for why he was outside long enough and he said that maybe the building required a key card or was locked and he could've forgotten the key card and couldn't get in so he was outside for a period of time walking to the building and had to stay outside and possibly start to turn around for even longer. However, the building also could've been unlocked and open 24/7 but the article didn't say too much except that it was a campus building.
1. Maybe he slipped on ice and hit his head causing him to pass out and then the cold got to him. It just seems strange that he died from just being cold.
2. I haven't had any problems with the cold weather because I avoid going outside for any reason.
I agree that it does seem strange to die only from the cold but it did feel about -51 degrees when he was outside and frostbite and hypothermia could set in really fast in those conditions. The added possible factors that you mentioned could also explain what happened to him.
I mean, I have heard this story and I'm guessing it's because it is from the cold. Something else could have happened if they go ino research. But I'm guesseing he froze to death. The roads have been icy a bit and it's been super cold, but you have to be safe and you'll be fine.
I'm shocked by the number of people that have died from these frigid temperatures. It makes me feel bad because when I would hear about the negative 20-degree weather here in Iowa, I would be upset about the cold, but I didn't really think about how it affected all these other people that were homeless or stuck in the cold. I feel terrible for these families that lost family members in the cold.
It's horrible how all these people died, and the count is only of those in the Midwest and I can't imagine how many freeze all over the world due to cold weather. I agree that we do sort of take for granted our heating and shelters while other people are homeless and I'm thankful for those things, even more after hearing about these unfortunate fates.
I bet it was from the cold, maybe he fell and couldn't get up and since it was so cold out he started getting cold fast and got hypithermia. Besides car accidents because of slick spots I've never heard about any insidents from the cold, but the precations I would take our staying inside and not leaving bundled up in blankets.
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