Police: Salisbury man dies after car falls on him in Georgetown

Police say that they are investigating an industrial accident that claimed the life of a Salisbury man earlier on Tuesday.

According to Delaware State Police, around 1:08 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, a 911 call was placed to the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center that said that a man had been trapped under an automobile at Donovan Salvage Works Inc.

Troopers and Emergency Medical Personnel responded to Donovans Road where they found a 41-year-old man laying on the ground near a car. Lifesaving steps were performed on the man who was eventually pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators say that a man, who was a customer, was trying to take a part from a vehicle in the yard and had used a jack to raise the vehicle and a spare tire was placed underneath as a buffer. The car, which was on dirt and gravel, came dislodged from the jack and landed on top of the man. Witnesses noticed the man underneath the car and ran to the office to tell them about the incident.

Workers responded with a fork lift and removed the vehicle before EMS arrived. The victim was alone at the time of the incident. Its unclear how long he may have been trapped.

The Delaware Division of Forensic Science responded to the scene and removed the victim, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his family, to conduct an autopsy. Foul play is not suspected.