By Associated Press - Friday, January 5, 2018

WAKEENEY, Kan. (AP) - Investigators have ruled the death of a man who fell from a communications tower in northwest Kansas an accident.

The Salina Journal reports that Clayton Donnell Barnhill of Grayson, Louisiana, died after falling 320 feet (97.5 meters) from a tower in rural Trego County on Dec. 9. Sheriff Richard Hanks says the 39-year-old was working on the communications tower when he fell.

The Sheriff’s Office reports that a co-worker on the tower with Barnhill heard him click his safety harness before he leaned back and fell. The office says another co-worker on the ground alleges Barnhill hit three guide lines as he fell.



Investigator David Day arrived about an hour after the fall and pronounced Barnhill dead.

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Information from: The Salina (Kan.) Journal, http://www.salina.com

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