Sad Days

Denver officials could not say Wednesday whether two men found dead in snowbanks died because of last week's blizzard

The men were found in different locations, 1320 S. Quitman St. and 5400 Colorado Blvd., said Denver's chief deputy coroner, Michelle Weiss- Samaras.

The men have not been positively identified.

It is possible the men died from pre-existing medical conditions and it's not clear whether they were shoveling snow at the time of their deaths, Weiss-Samaras said.

"We can't tell until the autopsies are completed," she said.

Blaming the storm for the deaths of people is difficult to do, especially if a medical examiner doesn't have information about what the victims were doing before their deaths, she said.

Mark Salley of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said his agency does not keep such statistics.

Weiss-Samaras said it's possible that five deaths in Denver, including the two men found Tuesday, have some connection to the blizzard.

One man was found dead Friday in a house without heat. At least two other people died because medical care could not reach them in time because of road conditions, she said.

In Adams County, two elderly men with medical conditions died during the blizzard while shoveling snow, coroner James Hibbard said.

And Colorado State University professor James Garvey died and was buried by snow sometime during last week's blizzard in Fort Collins.

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