A Montgomery man is dead and a Plainville man was seriously injured during an afternoon coyote hunt in northern Daviess County.
At 2:55 p.m Thursday, the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting two people had been injured at an oil well three miles east of Plainville on CR 1000 N. The well is leased by Riverside Petroleum Company.
The Sheriff’s Department says that 40 year old Mervin Dale Knepp of Montgomery and 18 year old Lavon Joseph Wagler of Plainville were hunting coyotes when their hunting dogs chased a coyote into the oil well pump housing. Knepp and Wagler entered the machinery to retrieve the hunting dogs. According to the Sheriff’s Department the well starts and stops automatically depending on several factors. While the two men were in the restricted area the oil well automatically started and began operating. Both men were seriously injured. The Sheriff’s Department reports that Mervin Dale Knepp was transported to Daviess Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead due massive injury to his entire body. Lavon Joseph Wager was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital where he underwent surgery for leg injuries.
The Daviess County Sheriff’s Department was assisted by Indiana Conservation officers, the Plainville Fire Department, the Daviess County Coroner’s Office, and Southwest Ambulance.