Winter weather causes roof collapse, death

Roof collapse traps woman, husband dies

By Jeanne Sager
NEVERSINK — A woman trapped under a collapsed roof in Neversink this week escaped with her life, but her husband succumbed to the stress of worrying about her.
New York State Troopers were called to the home of Annette and Harrison Conklin Tuesday afternoon after the shed roof on the couple’s log home fell in, trapping Antoinette, 61.
Police say Harrison, who had called 911 from a nearby house, became emotionally distraught as emergency workers worked to remove debris and rescue his wife.
Transported to Catskill Regional Medical Center, the 65-year-old was pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.
Annette, 61, suffered broken bones and other minor injuries but is expected to make a full recovery.
The roof apparently collapsed when the ledger board used to secure the shed roof to the log structure gave way, due in part to the weight of the snow.
The case has been closed by the State Police.

Mountaindale toddler dies of exposure

By Jeanne Sager
MOUNTAINDALE — A toddler who snuck out of her Mountaindale home in the middle of the night was found dead Wednesday.
Cassandra Weronick, 3, unlocked the door to her family’s home on Aldrich Road while her parents were asleep.
According to State Police Capt. Wayne Olsen, the noise woke her mother. But the dog – who’d opened the door before – was barking, prompting Lisa Weronick to close the door and head back to bed unaware her daughter was outside.
Dressed in just a diaper and t-shirt, the toddler started walking down the road in the snow but apparently succumbed to the elements.
With temperatures in the single digits and a snowpack near a foot deep, police believe exposure is to blame for the death of the child.
Lisa and husband Doug woke the next morning and began looking for the child, but she was discovered by a motorist on Mountain Top Road, a half mile from her house. This was the second time in recent weeks the child had taken off – the last time she headed in a different direction to a neighbor’s house.
The closest home is just across the street, but Olsen said the toddler would have gotten disoriented quickly in the cold and likely did not know where to go.
State Police are continuing the investigation into the tragedy.