A rural Gettysburg man died early Monday morning from injuries sustained while fighting a grass fire on his property Sunday night.
A doctor pronounced Raymond W. Sutton, 61, dead at Gettysburg Memorial Hospital at approximately 1:30 a.m. Monday, said Potter County Deputy Sheriff Alan McClain.
According to McClain, the Gettysburg Fire Department responded to a grass fire Sunday night on Sutton's farm approximately 181/2 miles west of Gettysburg. Sutton was using a private truck - an old single-axle flatbed truck with a water tank in the back - to help put out the fire. Sutton parked the vehicle at the edge of a ravine. Somehow, the vehicle started rolling down the hill and ran over Sutton.
The accident occurred at about 11 p.m., McClain said. No one else was injured.
CPR was started at the scene. Gettysburg Ambulance transported Sutton to the hospital in Gettysburg.
McClain said Aberdeen's Careflight was called, but could not come because of the weather.
The grass fire at McClain's property was one of three caused by lightning reported in the county Sunday night, McClain said. At least two more were reported Monday, he said.
Weather details: As of Monday night, the Aberdeen office of the National Weather Service had not received any reports of fires or other lightning-related damage, and no reports of injuries, said meteorologist Ryan Knutsvig.
Aberdeen's rain total was .03, Knutsvig said, though he said other parts of town had reportedly received more.
Aberdeen saw 54 mph wind gusts from the west at 6:06 p.m., Knutsvig said. There were also reports ofpea-sized hail in Aberdeen and nickel-sized hail one mile northwest of Aberdeen, he said.
Three-quarter inch hail was reported in Edmunds County, which also had 60 mph wind and reports of a lot of branches down in the Mina area, Knutsvig said.
Distributed by the Associated Press
