Man found dead under trailer ramp near Vernon Hills

VERNON HILLS – A Libertyville man died Aug. 10 when a trailer ramp apparently fell on him while he was trying to raise it, authorities said.

About 6:30 a.m. Aug. 10, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 24800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in unincorporated Vernon Hills for a report of a person down, according to a news release.

Deputies found 53-year-old Wladyslaw Dziedzic of Libertyville with crush-type injuries. Dziedzic was found dead underneath a trailer ramp used to onload and offload heavy equipment.

Preliminary investigation shows Dziedzic arrived at the property earlier in the day to remove a Komatsu excavator from a trailer so the trailer could be taken to a worksite, police said.

After offloading the excavator, he likely used the bucket on the excavator and chains to raise the trailer ramps, which weigh about 300 pounds each. While walking to latch the ramps to the trailer, the chain likely slipped, causing the chain to free from the ramps. The ramps fell, one of them landing on top of him, likely crushing his torso, according to the release.

An autopsy was conducted at the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Preliminary results of the autopsy indicate Wladyslaw died from blunt force injuries as a result of the incident, according to a news release.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified of the incident.

Although foul play does not appear to be a factor, sheriff’s detectives are investigating, police said.