The Southern Illinoisan reports that 54-year-old Robert Billingsley of Vienna was securing barges when he died Friday afternoon. The work was part of a construction project to replace outdated navigation locks and dams.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the death is under investigation. Army Corps of Engineers Spokesman Todd Hornback says Billingsley is the first death at the project, which is located north of the Ohio River.
Emergency workers from Ballard County responded to the accident.
