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December 23, 2009

Marblehead man, 89, found dead in weekend's snow

By Alan Burke

MARBLEHEAD — Sometime after the snow began to pile up this past weekend, Edmund Sullivan, 89, went out to shovel.

His body wasn't discovered until Monday. DHL deliveryman Richard Dellazoppa found him half-buried by the snow, a shovel still in his hand. It happened that way because Sullivan lived alone. His home on exclusive Marblehead Neck was overgrown, paint peeling from the walls and windows in disrepair.

By the time a Fire Department rescue team arrived, Capt. Mike Porter said, "It was pretty obvious that he had been there a long time." No pulse. No sign of life. The police were called. "We stepped back," Porter said.

Police already knew the way to the house, Chief Robert Picariello said. They'd been called before, mostly for "well-being" checks. "(Sullivan) was dressed to shovel," the chief said. "It looked like he was merely cleaning off his stairs." A broom was found nearby.

He seemed to have no close family members, Picariello said.

The land alone is valued at nearly $1.3 million, but Sullivan's home on Foster Street was listed by the town assessor as being in poor condition.

It's been that way, said neighbor Warner Hazell, the former harbormaster, at least since Sullivan's sister Eleanor died a few years ago. Meanwhile, records indicate that the 1.2-acre property has been in the family since 1944.

In a neighborhood of well-to-do people, Sullivan seemed to be somewhat of a recluse, Hazell said. "I'd see him go by in his car. ... He was an old man. I really never knew him." He saw without being asked, however, that Sullivan's house was neglected. "It's hidden by all the overgrown trees. Nothing was taken care of."

Hazell, a Marblehead native who has lived on Foster Street for six years, is cautious about making judgments. The distance between Sullivan and others on the street isn't that unusual today, he suggested.

"I know my neighbor on the left. Some of these people I wouldn't be able to put a face to a house," he said. "You see them go by in their cars."

Sullivan was known a little at the Marblehead Senior Center on Humphrey Street. The center has a program to match seniors with Veterans Middle School kids eager to earn extra money by shoveling. Jan DePaolo of the Day Center couldn't find a record that Sullivan had used it.

Yet, if Sullivan was having problems, she added, "Unless we were made aware of it, well, we wouldn't know."

Even when they do know, seniors themselves can be reluctant to accept help or even recognize when they need it. "We can't enter their homes unless they want us in," she said. "If they're reclusive, they don't want us in."

Given the OK, she said, "We do everything and anything in our power if we're alerted."

Dr. David Roberts, chief of cardiology at Salem Hospital, saw Sullivan's death as a "setup." The snow was deep and wet, and every large snowstorm produces at least one heart attack, he said. This happens for a simple reason: Shoveling snow is hard work.

"It's more vigorous than you would think," Roberts said.

The shoveler is wearing heavy clothes, and he's out in freezing temperatures that quickly constrict his blood vessels and raise his blood pressure.

"Just 15 or 20 minutes of shoveling gets your heart rate up higher than 30 minutes of running on a treadmill at a gym," the doctor said.

For that matter, he observed, most people would check with their doctor before embarking on a strenuous exercise program at a gym. But almost nobody thinks it necessary to call a doctor before shoveling snow. Men who live sedentary lives are most at risk. Forgetting how seldom they push themselves physically, they can strain underused hearts to the breaking point.

Some of this might not have applied to Sullivan, who was at an advanced age.

"Eighty-nine is 89," the doctor said.

DePaolo offers a caution, "I tell everyone, be careful, be smart. Never be too proud to ask for help. Our seniors have taken care of enough people along the way. Now it's our turn to give them some assistance."

Safe shoveling

Don't shovel if you have a pre-existing heart condition — leave it to the youngsters.

Don't shovel if you lead a sedentary life.

Don't shovel snow over 3 feet high.

Use a small shovel.

Don't get sweaty and out of breath.

Take breaks.

Warm up before you start.

Stay hydrated — drink water.

If you feel any chest pains or discomfort while shoveling, call 911 and take the ride to the hospital in the ambulance, rather than relying on yourself or a lift from a friend.

Source: Dr. David Roberts

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