51-Year-old man dies while shoveling snow

MISHAWAKA, Ind. --  The late starting abrupt winter has been causing fatal accidents all over Michiana in the past week and unfortunately the snow caused another death in Mishawaka.

A man in his fifties died while shoveling his sidewalk.

Police say it happened just before 5 p.m. Monday.

“Drove by and seen a guy lying on the side of the road, parked my car and got out,” said Darren Bodle.

But by the time Bodle got to the 51-year-old man, it was too late.

“He was blue,” said Bodle.

“Police officers arrived very quickly and started C.P.R.,” said Bodle.

Firefighters say the 51-year-old had been outside shoveling his snow from his walk-way when he went into cardiac arrest.

“I understand that his health was not the best,” said Bodle.

This was not the first snow shovel-related call on Monday.

“There were several other departments that have had calls of people down,” said Mishawaka Fire Lieutenant Kerry Hershberger.

Hershberger says these cold temperatures and sudden snowfall this past week have caught Michiana folks off-guard.

“I think they are just kind of over-doing it,” said Hershberger.

He says the elderly and those with health issues really need to be cautious when removing snow.

“If they could hire someone to do it or use a snow blower instead of manual labor,” said Hershberger.

He says if you have any of these warning signs you need to call 911 right away.

“If they have any chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea; these are all signs of acute coronary syndrome,” said Hershberger.