ADDISON TWP. ? A 40-year-old Washington Township man was killed in an accident July 29 while working on a Creekside Dr. house near Townsend and Brewer roads.
Cody Elliot Ness was pronounced dead at the scene after falling approximately three stories.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Ness was working on a rooftop chimney from the basket of an 85-foot boom lift (or cherry picker).
It appears Ness began to move the equipment while on a sloped area of ground around the house, which is under construction and unoccupied.
The boom lift flipped over, ejecting Ness from the basket. He landed on the ground about 25 feet away from the basket and approximately 105 feet from the house.
The equipment was found laying on its side.
‘There were no witnesses,? said Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Brudvig, commander of the Addison substation. ‘He was the lone worker outside.?
Another worker was eating his lunch in the garage ‘when he heard beeping, and then a loud crash and went to investigate,? according to the sheriff’s report.
Two other workers inside the house told deputies they didn’t hear or see anything.
A representative from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) visited the scene to investigate.
‘The guy from OSHA said the beeping (alarm) could (mean) that it was off-balance ? just a little thing can (throw) it off-balance ? or it’s backing up. Both make the same type of noise,? Brudvig said. ‘Just moving (the boom lift) left-to-right a little bit could put it off-balance.?
Ness was not breathing when he was found.
Addison firefighters were called to the scene, but unable to revive the victim.
The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death was accidental and the result of multiple blunt trauma, according to Brudvig.
Ness leaves behind a wife and three children, a 17-year-old and 12-year-old twins.