A 66-year-old man from Tennessee has tragically passed away following a heart attack he suffered while shoveling snow at his residence, as reported by multiple sources referencing the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office.
According to WALA-TV, paramedics pronounced the man deceased shortly after they arrived at his home. They cited Haywood County Sheriff Billy Garrett in their report. The man’s identity has not been released, pending notification of his next of kin.
Experts in heart health have long cautioned about the dangers linked to the physical exertion of snow shoveling, especially for older adults. Although no official age cutoff exists, some cardiologists suggest that people over 45 should be more vigilant to minimize the risk of heart-related incidents.
Research from the Mayo Clinic in 2025 highlighted that merely 10 minutes of intense snow shoveling could elevate the heart’s activity to approximately 97% of its maximum rate. Additionally, the cold air can increase blood pressure and decrease coronary blood flow.
Dr. Navjot Kaur Sobti, an interventional cardiologist at Northwell’s Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York, expressed to Fox News Digital that people aged 65 and older, especially those with heart disease risk factors, should exercise extreme caution when shoveling snow.
Dr. Navjot Kaur Sobti, an interventional cardiologist at Northwell’s Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y., told Fox News Digital that individuals above the age of 65 who have risk factors for heart disease should be “very, very cautious about shoveling snow.”
Sobti recommends using a “pushing or sweeping” motion instead of heavy lifting when shoveling snow.
Damaged ice-covered trees and downed power lines block a road during a winter storm in east Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Kate Dearman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Tennessee Department of Health has reported eight weather-related fatalities across seven counties in a matter of days. The counties include Cheatham, Crockett, Davidson, Haywood, Hickman, Knox and Obion. The Crockett County Sheriff’s Office told WMC-TV that one of the deceased was an 11-year-old boy, though the office reportedly did not share how the child died.
As of Tuesday evening, Tennessee remained at a Level 3 State of Emergency, which is the designation given when “a serious emergency or minor disaster” has taken place.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) said on Tuesday that restoring power remains the state’s priority, adding that prolonged cold temperatures have put a strain on the state’s utility systems. TEMA also said the state is still seeing hazardous road conditions due to ice and refreezing, as well as “limited effectiveness of treatments in extreme cold.”
Aerial view of snow and ice-covered landscape on Jan. 26, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Department of Health.
