Indiana Accident News

Hartford City Man Drowns In Construction Accident In Wabash

According to the east central Indiana Star Press, a contract worker drowned while on the job this week while working in a water main access under an intersection. He was an employee of Environmental Construction, Inc., which had been subcontracted by Indiana American Water Company. It has not been confirmed whether or not he was on the job at the time of the fatal accident.

Fifty-year-old Stephen A. Walls was working under a Wabash road intersection when he became trapped in the water main access hole under roughly eight feet of water. Emergency workers, including police officers and firemen, tried to pull the submerged Walls from the water unsuccessfully by jumping into the water themselves. They also tried to save Wall using a rope without success. The intersection was located two blocks north of the Wabash River at the junction of Carroll and West Streets, and the deadly accident took place at 4 pm on Tuesday afternoon.

The water company was contacted, who turned off the water and drained the area where Walls was trapped. He was taken to Wabash County Hospital, where medical professionals pronounced the worker dead. He was a native of Hartford City, IN. An autopsy will be performed to confirm the death was a drowning in this case of a fatal on-the-job accident.

"Patrolman Dan Henderson attempted to get in the water," Maj. Steve Hicks from the Wabash County Sheriff's Department said. "He made it in and came back out because of how deep the hole was."

The water main was turned back on after his body had been retrieved.

Authorities are investigating what caused the hole to fill with water so quickly, while the Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration (IOHSA) is investigating exactly what happened to the worker and why. The police log reported that the workers had been digging in the street and struck a water main, filling the hole with water.

Walls used to play semi-pro football and restored Mopar cars. He was survived by his son, daughter, and granddaughter.

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