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Cook County Records First Cold-Related Death of Season After Man Found in Evergreen Park
A 58-year-old man was found dead Friday morning in Evergreen Park from environmental cold exposure, marking Cook County's first cold-related death of the season. The death comes months after 16 people died from heat-related causes this summer.
A 58-year-old man was found dead Friday morning in Evergreen Park from exposure to cold temperatures, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, marking the first cold-related death reported in the county this season.
Paul Valkenburg was discovered in the 9800 block of South Albany Avenue and was pronounced dead at 6:20 a.m., the medical examiner's office said. The cause of death was listed as "environmental cold exposure."
The death occurred as temperatures dropped overnight in the Chicago area. The medical examiner's office did not release additional details about the circumstances surrounding the death.
The fatality is the first cold-related death recorded in Cook County this season. It follows a summer in which 16 people in the county died from heat-related causes, according to the medical examiner's office.
The back-to-back tolls underscore the dangers that extreme temperatures â both hot and cold â pose to residents, particularly those without adequate shelter or heating. Public health advocates have long warned that cold exposure can be fatal within hours for people who are unsheltered or living in homes without working heat.
Cook County residents in need of emergency shelter or heating assistance can contact the county's emergency services or dial 211 for referrals to local warming centers and support programs.