The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

[Macro error: Can't include because the file is larger than 32767 characters.]

Pomona man found dead after apparent "strange accident"

A 50-year-old Pomona man was found dead at his residence Thursday with his body trapped between a homemade bucket lift and the rafters of an outbuilding near his home.

George Allen Reeves was pronounced dead at his Hickory Ridge Road home by Jackson County Coroner Dr. Thomas Kupferer.

According to Kupferer, Reeves was last seen leaving his residence Wednesday by neighbors and said the accident probably occurred 24 hours prior to the discovery.

Kupferer said preliminary findings show that Reeves died from asphyxiation as a result of his trapped position.

The coroner said no autopsy would be performed, and that a coroner's inquest would be scheduled in the coming weeks.

According to Jackson County Sgt. Charles Mallett, he was dispatched to the scene at approximately 10:40 p.m. Thursday after a family member of Reeves called the department about a man possibly being trapped in a bucket lift/ cherry picker.

The Murphysboro/Pomona/Somerset Fire Department, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and Ambulance Service responded to the call. Upon arrival, responders found a homemade hydraulic bucket life inside a large garage located at Reeve's residence.

According to Mallett, the garage was large enough in size to house large farming equipment.

When emergency services personnel arrived, the bucket lift was raised and pressed against the roof rafters of the building. After the apparatus was lowered, Reeves was discovered inside and pronounced dead at the scene.

Kupferer said according to neighbors and family members, Reeves had a history of working on equipment late at night. He also said it appeared the bucket lift required two people to operate. Reeves was apparently in the process of working maintenance on the machine by himself.

The initial investigation showed that Reeves was unable to stop the lift for unknown reasons, but it appears his death was accidental.

Kupferer said Reeves' situation shows how important it is to take safety precautions when working with machinery.

"You should always attempt to have someone close to you in case something occurs," Kupferer said. "Even when you're careful, strange accidents can happen and from all appearances, that's what occurred here."