chicago_man_loses_penis_frostbite

Did a Man Lose His Penis to Frostbite After Urinating Outside During a Cold Snap?

In early February 2019, the Facebook page Sexy Atheists shared a link to an article titled “Chicago Man Loses His Penis To Frostbite After Peeing Outside,” which appeared to report:

The bitter cold in Chicago has kept hospitals busy, with doctors at one facility during the brunt of an Arctic freeze treating 50 frostbite victims, including one man who lost his penis to frostbite after peeing outside.

“It’s a horrific situation,” says Dr. Stathis Poulakidas, the head of burn and wound care services at Cook County Health. They expect the more frostbite victims most of them to be homeless and they strongly suggest not to pee outside or you could lose you penis as well.

The image was indeed real, and appeared in a legitimate (and tragic) news story. That report involved the death of a Milwaukee man in January 2019 due to blisteringly low temperatures in the region:

In Milwaukee, a man was found dead [in January 2019] in the garage of a home and apparently collapsed after shoveling snow, authorities said.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said Charley Lampley, 55, was found frozen in a detached garage, near a snow shovel. The garage door was open and Lampley was fully clothed and dressed for the weather, CBS affiliate WDJT reports. It appeared he had been outside overnight.

Huzlers, which published the claim about a man losing his penis to frostbite, is a well-known purveyor of news hoaxes. A disclaimer at the bottom of its page read:

Huzlers.com is a fauxtire and satirical news blog that focuses on celebrities, hip hop and urban entertainment. If it’s trending it’s here!