An Oakland man is dead following work-related accident.
Coles County Coroner Ed Schniers says a preliminary investigation indicates Robert Lee Jr. was trying to jump a battery on a backhoe at the street department facility in Oakland yesterday when he fell to the ground.
Schniers says there were no witnesses to the incident, but they believe the backhoe somehow got in gear during Lee's fall, ultimately rolling over him.
An autopsy was performed today, but Schniers says he won't release official results until toxicology results come back in about four weeks.
Lee worked for the Oakland Street Department for many years and helped run his family's Independence Pioneer Village on the north side of town.