Woman dies after cemetery crash
Asthma attack leaves driver trapped for hours inside SUV after it hits tree
A Berks County woman died of natural causes Saturday, just hours after an asthma attack caused her to crash an SUV into a tree at a cemetery, trapping her inside for hours before help arrived. The woman’s death comes just over a week after the death of her husband.
Nancy J. Heist, 68, of Colebrookdale, was pronounced dead at Reading Hospital at 10:02 p.m. Saturday, Berks County Deputy Coroner Scott Anuszewski confirmed Sunday afternoon.
Assistant Chief Deputy Coroner John Hollenbach said in a media report Sunday that an asthma-related event caused the crash that happened in the middle of Highland Memorial Park Cemetery on Farmington Avenue and York Street.
Pottstown Police said the SUV glanced off one tree and then hit another head-on trapping Heist inside. Rescuers at the scene said the crash happened around 6 p.m. Saturday but it wasn’t discovered until about 2½ hours later.
Firefighters rescued Heist from the vehicle and emergency medical services treated and transported her to the trauma center at Reading Hospital in West Reading. Hollenbach said in a report that Heist’s condition actually began to improve on the way to the hospital. But once at the hospital, she suffered respiratory failure and died, officials said.
Heist was the surviving spouse of Walter O. Heist, who died Feb. 10, 2017 at the age of 76. She had been visiting his grave when the accident happened. The couple had been married 42 years, according to Mr. Heist’s obituary.