VERMILION TWP. — A fatal accident involving a backhoe claimed the life of a Vermilion Township resident during weekend yard work, according to an incident report released by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies, alongside Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth and the Vermilion Township Fire Department, responded to a property in Vermilion Township on October 24 after a report of a male struck by a backhoe.
Upon arrival at 7:13 p.m., first responders located Raymond L. Dillon, 82, who was killed after suffering severe head injuries.
According to a witness statement provided to Sgt. Brett Szakats, Dillon and his wife were outside doing yard work when the backhoe was observed moving and striking a large tree stump. Delores was able to shut off the equipment’s ignition before finding her husband lying behind the machine, injured.
The Erie County Sheriff’s Office and the Erie County Coroner’s Office are conducting a standard investigation into the incident.