You never know what day will be your last. While we were preparing this issue of Cleaner, news surfaced of a fatal accident in Indiana. The man was jetting a drain line and was reportedly struck in the neck by the jetter’s water stream.

According to New Castle – Henry County EMS chief Ron Burns, 55-year-old Chad Unverzagt, owner of Hoosier A-1 Sanitary Sewer Service, was called to New Castle High School to clear a blocked drain line on the morning of Friday, May 11. Unverzagt had accessed the line from a manhole on a concrete walkway outside the building.

At 9:12 a.m., New Castle – Henry County EMS received the emergency call. When they arrived on scene, bystanders said Unverzagt had just taken his last breath. The first responders acted quickly, took steps to revive the victim and got him to Henry County Hospital in New Castle. He was later transported to a trauma center in Indianapolis, where he was eventually pronounced dead.

Much of what is known about the accident was relayed to local authorities from a school district maintenance worker who was with Unverzagt at the time of the accident. According to Burns, the worker reported that Unverzagt was retrieving the hose from the manhole when “it got away from him.” The high-pressure trailer jetter he was using was still running, and the hose began flailing around “like a snake.”

Unverzagt was first struck in the chest by the hose, which left a substantial bruise, Burns reported. As Unverzagt struggled to regain control, the high-pressure water stream from the jetter nozzle lacerated his neck. He somehow managed to get over to the machine and turn it off, before staggering a few feet away and collapsing. The maintenance worker, who was not injured, used his shirt to apply pressure in an attempt to stop the bleeding while he waited for the EMS crew to arrive. Sadly, it wasn’t enough.

“I’ve been doing this 25 years and it’s one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen,” Burns said.

Unverzagt was included in our old “Reader Pipelines” column several years ago. He talked about the importance of hiring the right people and developing a good rapport with customers. Those two themes come up a lot in these pages, along with another: the need to take proper safety precautions at all times.

When jetting sewer or drain lines, never start the flow of water until the jetter nozzle is far enough inside the pipe to eliminate the threat of water from rear-facing jets, and always depressurize the system before removing the nozzle.

All jetting hoses should also include a leader hose or be clearly marked so the operator knows when the nozzle is nearing the end of the line. This limits the chance of pulling the nozzle out of the pipe while still under pressure.

Indiana workplace safety officials are reportedly investigating the New Castle incident, and while there are no reports of any safety violations at this point, the accident certainly underscores the need to be vigilant when it comes to safety. You never know when a job will take a bad turn, and you can never let your guard down.

The National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) recently released a new video, “Introduction to Sewer Cleaning with Jetting Equipment,” which covers the safe use of high-pressure waterjetters. It may seem elementary to experienced drain cleaning professionals, but Unverzagt had 30 years of experience under his belt when he was struck down. A safety refresher is never a bad idea and it could end up saving your life or the life of one of your employees.

The NASSCO video is available at www.nassco.org. Even if you don’t feel the video is necessary, use this incident to remind your employees of the importance of proper safety measures. You’ll never regret it.