MOUNT CARMEL, Penn. — A Pennsylvania woman has died after getting her arm caught in a clothing donation drop-off box.
Northumberland County Coroner James Kelley says 56-year-old Judith Permar died from a combination of trauma injuries she sustained in the accident and hypothermia.
The coroner says the Mount Carmel woman used a step stool to reach into the bin, and her left arm became stuck when the stool collapsed. She broke her left arm and wrist and couldn't get free.
Investigators believe she went to the drop box about 2 a.m. Sunday. She was found dead more than six hours later.
Michelle Podpora told WNEP-TV that she drove by that donation bin during the time Permar was stuck there.
“Horrible, I feel bad for that day. I drove by that area and I didn't see her, at 5 o`clock in the morning. So yeah, it hits me, hit me hard,” said Michelle Podpora.
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The drop box is located along a highway in Natalie, a tiny village in Mount Carmel Township. That's about 60 miles northeast of Harrisburg.
Permar's son told WNEP-TV that said she always wanted to help the less fortunate and constantly donated to those clothing bins.
The coroner conducted an autopsy Monday.
In lieu of flowers, her family asks people make donations to their local SPCA or animal shelter as Permar was an animal lover.
Information from the Associated Press and WNEP-TV was used in this report.
Cox Media Group
