BORDERLAND

29-year-old man’s death from blood clot, not flu

1/27/2014

The Lucas County Coroner’s office has determined that a Toledo man previously reported as a flu casualty was killed by a blood clot in his lungs.

“This would present the same symptoms as the flu, but he never had the flu or pneumonia,” Dr. Cynthia Beisser, a Lucas County deputy coroner, said Monday regarding the death of Eric Sherman, Jr., 29. Lab tests confirmed Monday that Mr. Sherman did not have the flu.

He died Jan. 21 at St. Luke’s Hospital after feeling ill for a few days. The family of the youth pastor and Charter One bank manager said hospital officials told them he had died from the flu and pneumonia.

Dr. David Grossman, the Toledo-Lucas County health commissioner, initially said Mr. Sherman likely died from the H1N1 flu strain, but he was waiting for the coroner’s office to make a formal ruling.

The county health department said it will no longer consider Mr. Sherman’s death among the Toledo area’s flu-related deaths this season. So far, eight people have died of flu-related causes this season in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.