N.H. Man Crushed To Death In His Yard By 6,000-Pound Boulder
RAYMOND, N.H. (CBS) – A New Hampshire man was killed when a 6,000-pound boulder crushed him in his own backyard.
Paul Comeau, 47, a father and martial arts instructor, told his neighbors he was digging up the huge boulder against his home because it was creating a path for water to run into his basement when it rained. It was a project he had been working on for a couple of months.
"When it's that big, you would think you would ask for help," said Cara Maurice, one of his neighbors. "There's plenty of neighbors around here that we do that on a daily basis. We go up to neighbors' houses and help them out."
This was one huge rock, though -- about three tons and five feet wide.
"He was in the ditch digging around the bottom of the boulder with a handheld tool of some sort," said Lt. Michael Labelle of the Raymond Police Department.
The last time Comeau's family saw him was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon when he went out back to work on the project. It wasn't until hours later that his wife realized he was missing, before she found him in the worst possible situation.
"The boulder got free and rolled towards him pinning him between the boulder and the side of the ditch," said Labell.
It took a tow truck to free him, but by then it was too late. The family was left devastated along with a community of martial arts students. Neighbors remained stunned.
"To think that you're working out there by yourself and something like this can happen," said Maurice. "So tragic, so close to home."
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