Dec. 9 – Elizabeth Pollard died of head and torso injuries, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson, who released the 64-year-old Unity resident’s preliminary autopsy report on Monday.
But there’s no way to know whether Pollard died in the fall or died afterward, Carson said.
The toxicology results from Pollard’s autopsy were not yet ready.
Pollard was looking for her cat behind Monday’s Union Restaurant in Unity on December 2. The ground gave way beneath her and she fell about thirty feet straight into a sinkhole that led to the abandoned Marguerite Mine. The mine of HC Frick Coke Co. was last used in 1952. The mine covers 48 hectares underground.
After nearly four days of searching and digging, Pollard’s body was found about 10 feet southwest of the sinkhole where she fell, authorities said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is working to stabilize and fill the mine’s sinkhole and subsidence.
The DEP said the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation “will oversee emergency operations to fill the excavated area at the incident site, drill and pump cementitious grout to stabilize the Marguerite Mine void in the immediate area to prevent further subsidence prevent and eliminate the hazard.”
Family members said Pollard’s pride and joy helped raise her granddaughter after tragedy struck the family last January with the death of her 28-year-old son, Brandon.
Family members said Elizabeth Pollard previously worked at Walmart in Hempfield. She struggled with health and mobility issues, although neither kept her from doting on her granddaughter and being a constant presence in her community.
Leo M. Bacha Funeral Home in Pleasant Unity will handle the funeral arrangements. There is no word on whether the services will be public or private.
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Related:
– Unity woman, victim of sinkhole tragedy, remembered for her devotion to family and her care for neighbors
– Sadness, relief felt as the remains of the Unity woman were recovered from the sinkhole
– Coal, once king in Pennsylvania, leaves abandoned mines causing concern
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Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter for Delmont, Export and Murrysville. A native of Western Pennsylvania, he joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor at the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
