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MILFORD - A Warsaw man was accidentally electrocuted while working Wednesday morning at a Milford business. Another man was injured when he attempted to rescue his co-worker.
Wesley V. Prater, 22, 2701 N. Williamson Drive, was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw, where he was pronounced dead at 12:30 p.m. Wilbur Foreman, 48, Milford, was shocked and was treated at KCH and released.
A 911 call was received at 11:21 a.m. from Royal Crown Limited on Syracuse Street in Milford, where Prater apparently came in contact with a power source while shoveling debris from a hopper.
Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd said Prater was working on a plastic molding machine, which has a sensor light that activates when the debris hopper gets full and needs to be cleared. The light reportedly activated and Prater went to clear it when the accident occurred. The power source to the machine is 110 volts.
Ladd said Foreman was working nearby when he noticed Prater was partially crouched down and had "an expressionless look" on his face. Foreman went over and grabbed Prater and was shocked by the electric current. Foreman was able to free himself and shut off the power at the main source. Prater then fell to the ground.
Preliminary results from an autopsy conducted Wednesday evening point to electrocution as the cause of Prater's death.
Ladd said the matter remains under investigation by his office and the Indiana Department of Labor safety compliance section.
