The Erie County Coroner’s Office has released the 2017 death statistics, the coroner calling the spike in overdoses unheard of.  

Last year, there were 323 natural deaths, 212 accidental deaths, 59 suicides, 11 homicides, and 9 undetermined deaths. 

Drug deaths in 2017 adding up to a total of 124 drug deaths, the largest number ever recorded in Erie County.  54% primarily involved fentanyl, 26% primarily involved heroin, and 32% primarily involved cocaine.  

Coroner Lyell Cook says, “I’m surprised at the number a bit but we could see it coming. I just hope that this year the trend will start to go the other way.” 

So far in 2018, there have already been 21 reported drug deaths.