Inspection Detail

Inspection: 387162.015 - Knox Swan & Dog Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Chicago North Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 7:00 a.m. on April 14, 2012, an employee of Knox Swan and Dog, LLC. was working alone clearing an area from geese. The employee entered the retention pond with his kayak and at one point the kayak turned over, causing the employee to fall into the pond. The employee was attempting to swim towards the west side shore line, when a swan began to attack him. This may have been the reason why the kayak may have flipped over, as the employee was attempting to fight off the swans. The employee did not make it to the shore line and drowned. The employee was not wearing the life vest supplied in the kayak. The employer provided to CSHO a copy of their employee manual which addresses the use of a life vest at all times when entering bodies of water. The employee was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and was pronounced dead an hour or so later. The employee's cause of death was drowning.

Keywords: Animal, Drowning