Six people across Kentucky died from accidents related to recent winter weather conditions that pummeled the commonwealth from Jan. 5-11, Gov. Andy Beshear said during his weekly news conference Thursday.
One woman and five men died from injuries or medical emergencies related to the snow and ice during, Beshear said. The individuals were from Oldham, Franklin, Boone and Breckinridge counties.
“These are losses are tragic. Tragic to the communities these individuals lived in. Tragic to their families,” Beshear said.
Beshear reported that multiple of the deaths were caused by cardiac arrest induced by overexertion from shoveling snow.
While traffic and power generator safety are often emphasized during winter weather events, Beshear said risks of snow shoveling need to be included in any conversations concerning winter storm safety.
“We now need to really start talking about shoveling safety as we move forward with any other winter events,” Beshear said. “We don’t want to lose anybody else, so I want to encourage people as we move forward to shovel safely.”
Beshear explained that shoveling snow can lead to back injuries and heart attacks — a risk that is exacerbated by compromised road conditions that cause emergency response times lag. He urged Kentuckians to take frequent breaks while shoveling,
The reminders come as Kentucky is rebounding from back-to-back winter storms. The first storm — Winter Storm Blair — dropped more than 10 inches of snow to Louisville Jan. 5-6 and prompted Beshear to declare a state of emergency across the commonwealth. In its wake came 3 more inches Friday night in Louisville.
Many side roads in Louisville remain icy, and Metro Snow Team crews are continuing to work on improving road conditions on 70 streets identified as problem areas by Jefferson County Public Schools, Mayor Craig Greenberg said Wednesday.
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Andy Beshear: 6 Kentucky residents died winter-weather accidents