Man Stuck Under Hempfield Trailer Dies

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. - THE PITTSBURGH CHANNEL.com

A man pulled from under a trailer home in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, late Wednesday afternoon has died.

James C. Skovira, 48, died from asphyxiation due to compression injuries of the chest, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner's Office. The cause of death was deemed accidental.

Rescue crews were called at about 4:30 p.m. to Cardinal Drive, where the man was doing some work on the trailer and got stuck. Justin Malley, a neighbor, told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that Skovira's son tried calling Skovira but his calls were not returned.

"When I come (sic) out of the truck, I seen his dad underneath there, and (his son) was screaming, 'My dad's under the trailer, my dad's under the trailer,' and I called 911," Malley said.

Skovira had placed several jacks underneath the trailer but one slipped and the mobile home came crashing down on his chest.

Witnesses said it took a matter of minutes for rescue workers to arrive but it felt like an eternity.

"I felt really bad for his son to see his father like that," Malley said.

Firefighters from Jeannette, High Park and Grapeville were able to get the man out from under a trailer that had been propped up on a jack.

"Seemed like a nice guy. He always waved. (He) seemed like a nice guy; he was a pretty good guy," said Michael Cohen, a neighbor.

After Skovira was removed from under the trailer, rescue workers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, witnesses said. Skovira was taken by ambulance to Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital at Jeannette, where he was pronounced dead at about 5:30 p.m.

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