Authorities say a 53-year-old man was found dead after he was apparently crushed to death by a ramp while offloading an excavator near Vernon Hills Thursday morning.
The Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:30 a.m. Thursday to the 24800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in unincorporated Vernon Hills for a report of a person down.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located a 53-year-old Libertyville man with crush-type injuries, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The man was underneath a trailer ramp used to load and unload heavy equipment.
He was confirmed to be deceased at the scene, Covelli said.
A preliminary investigation shows the man arrived at the property earlier in the morning to remove a Komatsu excavator from a trailer.
The excavator needed to be unloaded so the trailer could be taken to a work site.
After unloading the excavator, investigators believe the man used the bucket on the excavator and chains to raise the trailer ramps, which weigh approximately 300 pounds each.
While working to latch the ramps to the trailer, the chain likely slipped, causing it to come free from the ramps, Covelli said.
The ramps fell and one of them landed on top of the man, crushing his torso.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded and an autopsy is in the process of being conducted.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was notified of the incident.
Covelli said foul play does not appear to be a factor but sheriff’s detectives continue investigating.