Muncie man apparently drowns in accident outside home
MUNCIE, Ind. — Authorities said a Muncie man apparently drowned Sunday evening in an accident outside his southside home.
James W. Vance Jr., 63, was pronounced dead at the scene, in the 1900 block of West 17th Street.
Emergency personnel had been sent there about 11:35 p.m. after a family member found the victim.
A city police officer reported Vance was stuck face down in a "water meter access hole" with his head below the water line.
The officer's efforts to pull Vance out of the hole by his legs were unsuccessful. It was determined the victim's head was wedged between the water meter pipe and the hole's wall.
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Other personnel arrived, and city firefighters cut the pipe, allowing the victim to be lifted from the hole. He was then pronounced dead.
A deceased cat was found at the bottom of the hole, leading to speculation Vance might have been trying to rescue the animal.
Delaware County Coroner Rick Howell said an autopsy would be conducted at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital.
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Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie man apparently drowns in accident outside home
