An 86-year-old Pennsylvania woman died after an accident with her medical alert necklace caused her to be strangled, according to officials.
Roseann J. DiFrancesco was wearing a medical alert device on a lanyard when she apparently lost her balance. She fell, catching the necklace on the handle of her walker, WPMT reported.
“She was left hanging by the necklace, which led to her death,” according to the TV station.
Cumberland County Coroner Charles Hall called DiFrancesco's death the result of a “freak accident.” Authorities ruled her death accidental.
A visiting nurse found DiFrancesco in her bathroom on Feb. 15 after she failed to answer her door, WPMT reported. It had been three days since family members heard from her and it was not clear how long she had been dead, according to PennLive.com.
The news website reported the lanyard used for DiFrancesco's device did not have a breakaway feature.
