Man escapes with broken bones when vehicle falls on him

A StatFlight helicopter prepares for takeoff Monday afternoon with a man who was working on a vehicle when it slipped off of a jack and fell onto him.

Courtesy Putnam County Sheriff's Department

BRICK CHAPEL — A Putnam County man was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital Monday afternoon when the truck he was working on slipped off the jack and fell.

Steve Akins was able to get out from under the truck and crawl to the house to call 911, according to a family member.

Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Helmer was near the area and responded first to the home just south of County Road 350 North. Helmer found Akins lying down in the living room. The deputy simply tried to keep Akins calm until medics arrived.

Emergency workers from Operation Life, Clinton Township Fire and an off-duty Roachdale firefighter subsequently responded.

A landing zone was quickly established in the field next to U.S. 231 and County Road 350 North for Stat Flight to land its helicopter.

With teamwork from all responding agencies, Akins was quickly flown to Indianapolis for treatment.

The family member said that despite the seriousness of the incident, it appeared Monday evening that Akins escaped with only a broken collar bone and broken shoulder blade. It was unclear if he would require surgery.