Features
Radio Station Stunt Goes Bad; Death Ruled “Accidental”
Susan Santodonato, 37, of Endwell, N.Y. was with her husband and children in a crowd, estimated at 100-150 people, waiting for the impersonator to emerge from the WMRV-FM studio and get into a limousine when she fell.
Santodonato was taken to a nearby hospital and died the next day.
Initial reports suggested Santodonato had collapsed and may have suffered a heart attack, but Broome County Sheriff’s deputy Jason Ellis told Pollstar that autopsy results revealed she died from a blow to the head.
Ellis said it was unclear why the woman fell, but there was no “crush” nor any reports of unruly crowd behavior.
“We assume [the injury occurred as the result of] a fall,” Ellis told Pollstar. “It was a very unfortunate incident and we’re looking at it as an accident. We’re looking for people in the crowd with video or still shots to come forward with what they have so we can get a better handle on just what happened.”
A man who identified himself as the WMRV station manager declined to give his name and said he was “just trying to focus on the woman.”
“We’re trying to figure out what happened,” he said, declining to comment further.