By Eric Litke

Sheboygan Press staff

A 41-year-old Sheboygan man drowned Wednesday afternoon after getting stuck in a storm sewer while attempting to retrieve a dropped cell phone, police said.

Brett R. Gunn, who weighed more than 300 pounds, was wedged with his head and shoulders underwater in a vertical storm drain in front of his home in the 3200 block of North 12th Street, said Lt. Tim Eirich of the Sheboygan Police Department. There was about 12 inches of water at the bottom of the sewer, police said.

Gunn was unconscious when rescuers pulled him out shortly after a neighbor reported the incident at 12:35 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at 1:27 p.m. at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center, police said.

Neighbor Chris Van Erem — who was mowing his lawn at the time — said he saw Gunn kneeling over the sewer moments before he fell in. Police said he had removed the iron grate to retrieve a cell phone.

"I didn't know if he had dropped something or what, so I went about my business and moved back to a spot where I was further back in the yard and didn't see him," Van Erem said several hours after the incident.

Moments later, a child from the neighborhood ran at Van Erem, waving his arms.

"When I shut off the lawnmower and looked up, I saw (Gunn's) feet sticking up out of the grate, and I ran over and tried to pull him on out," Van Erem said. "Absolutely helpless was the feeling. I couldn't budge him."

Van Erem had the child call 911 as he continued to try to free his neighbor, but he was unsuccessful.

"I could see his head and his shoulders were completely under the water," he said. "His legs weren't moving. He was completely unresponsive."

The first police officer arrived on the scene moments after, but the officer and Van Erem together couldn't budge Gunn. Van Erem said it ultimately took six firefighters to pull the man from the sewer.

Lt. Jeff Johnston said Gunn's cell phone was later found at the bottom of the sewer.

Sheboygan County Coroner David Leffin ruled the man's death an accidental drowning.

Van Erem, who had lived next to Gunn for about a year and a half and often talked to him while doing yard work, said the entire situation was surreal.

"Earlier we were talking and someone had called him on his cell phone, so I had gone back to mowing my lawn," Van Erem said. "We'd been talking about a promotion at work, an edger he was getting, all sorts of different little things."

Submitted on 06/07/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: Sheboygan Press June 7th, 2007

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
We now have the victim's name...!

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Yep, a few more details.

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