Man dies while cleaning Blair city water tank

A Texas man died on Saturday evening while cleaning the city of Blair’s water tank in the town of Preston.

According to a press release sent by the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department, Carlos Medina, 30, of El Paso, was using a 90-foot suction tube to clean sediment outside of the tank. Wearing a wetsuit and scuba gear, he was in the tank for approximately 45 minutes and told coworkers he began to feel cold, but continued to work. His coworkers told police that Medina possibly entered into a hypothermic state and lost hand mobility and strength. He became tangled in the suction tube and the workers were unable to pull him out.

The incident was reported to police at 5:18 p.m. When first responders and law enforcement arrived on scene, the subject was approximately six feet under the surface of the water and motionless, the release said. Emergency personnel were eventually able to pull Medina out of the tank and lowered him to the ground. Life-saving measures were performed, but were unsuccessful.

Medina was employed by a company that was hired by the city to clean the tank.

As of Monday, the incident was still under investigation.

Assisting on the scene were the Blair Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, Blair-Preston Fire Department and first responders, Whitehall Fire Department, Tri-County Ambulance and Gundersen Air.