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Sturgis family who lost loved one in fall from roof urge caution

Debbie and Steve Ridenour both still tear up when they talk about her late father.

David Potts died Jan. 17, 2009, three weeks after falling off his Sturgis roof. He went up to the roof to shovel off snow, something his daughter and son-in-law don't want other people to do.

‘Stop and think if the snow on your roof is worth the risk of hurting yourself and leaving your loved ones,’ Debbie Ridenour said.

‘You can buy a roof rake or hire somebody,’ she added.

During the three weeks he lived after the accident, Ridenour said, her father was very sorry he had climbed on the roof, something he had apparently never done before.

Potts went on the roof to remove the snow because the siding was pulling away from the side of the building, and he was concerned about it, she said.

He shoveled the snow off, came down and with his wife, Mary, who had been holding the ladder, went inside.

Ridenour said her mother then heard a noise and went outside to find her husband unconscious on the concrete of the driveway, and the ladder across a car.

Family members believe Potts tried to go back on the roof to put salt on it.

Potts, who suffered head injuries and various other injuries, spent a week in Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo and a week in a rehabilitation hospital before being allowed to go home.

About a week later, his blood pressure was so low that he fell inside the home and died about two hours later.

Ridenour said the family was told his death was the result of a blood clot caused by the fall from the roof.

She said family members felt fortunate to have a short time with Potts before he died. The prognosis had been so dire, they believed it was a miracle he was able to recover enough to communicate with them.

‘He saw people he hadn't seen in a long time,’ Ridenour said.

Potts had no memory of being on the roof and was amazed, and sorry, he had done that, she said.

Ridenour said her 68-year-old father was ‘very strong, very able, very energetic.’ She said it was something he was able to do, but shouldn't have done.

Potts had 14 grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. He was the outreach pastor at Sturgis Nazarene Church, and the Ridenours said he is missed by a lot of people besides his family.

‘He was always there,’ Ridenour said. ‘He was a great grandpa. There's a huge hole.’

Steve Ridenour described his father-in-law as somebody who was always encouraging and ‘there to support you no matter what was going on.’

He said he and his wife hoped to buy a roof rake this weekend and go to his mother-in-law's house to remove the snow — while standing on the ground.

Charles Bulot, building commissioner for South Bend and St. Joseph County, said that's what you should do about snow on the roof — get a roof rake.

‘Don't do anything dangerous, including climbing on the roof with snow on it,’ he said.

Bulot said if the snow on the roof is too heavy, your weight isn't going to help the situation at all.

If you're worried about snow on the roof of a two-story building, you need to hire someone with the knowledge and equipment to do the job safely, he cautions.

Heavy snow may be a problem if the rafters of a home are small or there is a lot of space between them, he said.

If you get in the attic and hear a groaning noise, he noted, you might want to get the snow off.

Bulot also doesn't recommend using road salt on the roof. He said it can cause hot and cold spots on the roof.

He also cautioned against trying to knock icicles off the roof because they can be heavy and dangerous.

And don't get on the roof and try to break up an ice dam using a hatchet or a hammer. You can damage the roof more than what the ice will, Bulot said.

Icicles are caused by improper venting, he noted. The part of the roof above the house is warmed by the house. But the part of the roof above the eaves is cold. So snow that melts above the house freezes again when it reaches the eaves, causing an ice dam and icicles.

Bulot said the problem is particularly bad if insulation in the attic touches the roof. He suggested people who have problems with icicles hanging off the roof look to make sure insulation isn't touching the inside of the roof.

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