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Indiana County man drowns trying to clear overflow pipe in pond

Indiana County man drowns trying to clear overflow pipe in pond

An Indiana County man drowned Thursday evening as he attempted to clear a debris-filled pipe after heavy storms rolled through the area.

Justin David McCoy, 30, of Shelocta, was in a kayak, attempting to clear a 15-inch overflow pipe in a pond shortly after 5 p.m., according to Indiana County Coroner Jerry L. Overman Jr.

The pipe became clogged by debris as the water level in the pond rose after thunderstorms dropped more than four inches of rain in some parts of the county.

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Mr. Overman said the victim’s kayak flipped and his legs were sucked into the pipe. The water in the pond continued to rise as several people, including Mr. McCoy’s father, tried to free him, and soon Mr. McCoy was completely submerged, the coroner said.

Mr. McCoy was pronounced dead at 7:39 p.m. Mr. Overman listed the cause of death as an accidental fresh water drowning.

Pennsylvania State Police were investigating.

The Indiana Gazette reported early this morning that a storm pattern labeled by the National Weather Service as “training storms” lashed the region Thursday afternoon, sending creeks out of their banks and flooding low-lying areas.

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Flooding extended from Clymer through Creekside and Shelocta and from Indiana to Homer City, the newspaper reported.

“Training storms involve rain falling very hard over small area for a short period of time and dumping a whole lot of rain,” NWS meteorologist Bob Coblentz told the newspaper. “The rain hit a lot of isolated areas. That’s the type of system it was.”

First Published: June 23, 2017, 4:59 a.m.

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