The crane operator who died earlier this month while working at a wind turbine construction site in remote Natrona County was operating a crane that rolled into a pond, according to a Natrona County Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by WyoFile.

The victim, John William Hoffpauir Jr., 55, of Houma, Louisiana, was driving a “large two-axle crane” at about 20 miles per hour on Twenty Mile Hill Road east of Interstate 25, about 20 miles north of Casper, on Aug. 5 when it “slowly veered off the road,” the report said. The crane “rolled into the pond and onto its roof,” and Hoffpauir “was trapped in the cab area under water and mud for between 5 and 20 minutes.”

A wheel loader was sent to the scene to lift the cab out of the water, but the attempt failed, the report said. “Other workers” in the area “broke the cab window.” Further details of the rescue attempt were omitted from the report.

According to Natrona County, Twenty Mile Hill Road is neither owned nor maintained by Natrona County.

Blattner Energy, which is building a wind farm in the area, confirmed to WyoFile that Hoffpauir was a Blattner Energy employee but declined to provide further information. The incident is being investigated by the Wyoming Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Officials there say they cannot comment on the incident until work is completed.

It was the sixth confirmed fatal workplace accident in Wyoming this year, not counting workplace road deaths, Turbitt said. Wyoming had 34 workplace road deaths (including workplace road deaths) in 2022 – a 25% increase from 2021, according to data from the state and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to an obituary on the website of Crowley, Louisiana-based Geesey Ferguson Funeral Home, Hoffpauir worked as a paramedic before becoming a crane operator.

He had four children and five grandchildren.