Officials say that as snow fell in Ohio, a Toledo police officer died and the city's mayor was hospitalized after an accident while he was out checking road conditions.
Toledo Police Patrolman's Association confirmed the officer's death Sunday but did not release his name. Association President Dan Wagner told WTOL the officer apparently died of a heart attack while shoveling snow in his driveway.
City and medical officials say Mayor D. Michael Collins was hospitalized after he had a heart attack and his SUV crashed into a pole.
The National Weather Service predicted 12 inches or more of snow and high winds for the Toledo area and as much as a foot around Cleveland through early Monday. Large trucks were banned from the Ohio Turnpike until noon Monday.
According to WTOL-TV, Toledo city council President Paula Hicks-Hudson has been sworn in as acting mayor as Mayor Collins is not in a condition to make decisions.
The station reported that Dr. Christopher Cooper, Cardiologist and Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs at the University of Toledo Medical Center, said Mayor Collins is currently “being heavily sedated and closely monitored.”
“At this point it is too early yet to establish the timing or likelihood of his recovery,” Dr. Cooper said in a statement from the city of Toledo.
