Westchester man is Cook County’s 12th cold-related death of season

A DuPage County man who died at a west suburban hospital Tuesday is Cook County’s 12th cold-related death of the season.

Eugene Gawrysiak, 52, died at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood at 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 1400 block of Manchester Avenue in Westchester.

An autopsy Wednesday found Gawrysiak died from complications of hypothermia and cold exposure, and obesity and alcohol toxicity were listed as contributing factors. His death was ruled an accident.

Gawrysiak was brought to Loyola from DuPage County, but his death will still be listed among Cook County’s cold-related deaths. The DuPage County coroner’s office said there have been no cold-related deaths there this season.

At least 11 other people have died of cold-related causes in Cook County since Nov. 3, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Last winter, 26 people died at least partly from cold exposure in Cook County, according to the medical examiner’s office. During the 2013-14 winter season, there were 32 confirmed cold-related deaths.