ME: Cause of Delco man's death undetermined

MIDDLETOWN TWP., Pa. - July 20, 2011 (WPVI) -- The medical examiner's office says the cause of a Delaware County man's death is undetermined.

Officials conclude 62-year-old David Toy had hypertension and died a sudden death during a powerful storm last night.

They say the electrical storm may have caused his heart to stop, but it is not a certainty.

Police say Toy was trimming his trees and doing other yard work just after 6:00 p.m. when the storm moved through Citation Lane in Middletown Township.

"All of sudden I heard a big bang, the TV in my kitchen went off, and then next thing I know, my son says, 'Mommy, there's ambulances out front,'" neighbor Stacey Walsh said.

Toy's wife found him dead near a tree in the front yard.

State Police say there are no visible signs he was struck by lightning. There were no damaged trees, burnt limbs, or noticeable burns on Toy's body.

However, Toy's wife and neighbors are convinced the fit 62-year-old was hit.

Neighbor Liza Tierney spoke to Toy's wife shortly after learning of his death.

"She just said she thinks it was lightning, he got struck by lightning," Tierney said.

Once Mother Nature calmed down, neighbors gathered outside. Many were in disbelief that their kind, giving neighbor is dead.

"Tomorrow is never promised so you just treasure what you have; it's shocking," Walsh said.

Toy is survived by his wife and son, who neighbors say is in graduate school in New York and now heading home.

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pennsylvania, delaware county, lightning, local/state

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