Workman drowns after being pinned under equipment in a Jackson County pond

A pumping accident in Jackson County has led to the apparent drowning death of a Fairchild man.

The sheriff’s office says 44-year-old Tony Killian became trapped under a large pump, in a pond about 12 feet deep, at a work site in the town of Curran on Tuesday.

Killian reportedly had been doing maintenance work on the pump when it rolled over and may have knocked him into the pond. Heavy machinery was needed to free Killian from underneath the pump, and efforts to revive him were not successful.

First responders from Taylor, Hixton, and Black River Falls went to the scene, as well as the Fort McCoy Fire and Dive Team.