Two Men Die In Indiana Radio Tower Accident

Two workers from Texas fell to their death early today while helping construct a radio tower in northeast Tippecanoe County.

According to a story by Dorothy Schneider at the Lafayette Journal-Courier, the Sheriff's Department identified the two victims this afternoon as Ernesto Garcia, 29, of Laredo, Texas, and Paul Aliss, 32, of Mesquite, Texas. They were working at the site for ERI Inc., a company based in Chandler, Ind., as part of a crew of five.

The accident was reported just before 9 a.m. and emergency crews and police responded to the scene, which is near the intersection of County Roads 600 North and 900 East by Colburn. Crews spent much of the morning investigating at the site and the bodies of the two victims were not removed until close to 11 a.m.

Tippecanoe County Sheriff Tracy Brown said the workers fell an estimated 340 feet to the ground. They were wearing safety cables, he said, and were in the process of installing another segment to the tower, which will be 500 feet tall when complete.

The pieces fell as well but no other injuries were reported, Brown said. He referred questions about technical issues at the site to the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Stephanie McFarland, spokeswoman for IOSHA, said an investigation of the work site is underway but no information is available yet. The department aims to complete all investigations within six months, but she could not offer a more specific timeline.

John Schurz, general manager of the WASK radio group that's building the tower, said it would provide service to Carroll and Tippecanoe counties for the WXXB-102.9 FM station.

Read More.