Police: Wabash student’s death likely an ‘accident’

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – A Wabash College freshman who fell to his death from a campus building may have slipped on the copper roof while trying to reach the peak, administrators believe.\nAn autopsy Monday showed that 19-year-old Patrick Michael Woehnker of Kendallville, Ind., died of blunt force trauma caused by the fall, said Montgomery County Coroner Darren Forman.\nWoehnker fell Sunday from the top of Goodrich Hall, an academic building that was closed at the time. He was with four other students on the roof when he got separated from them, authorities said.\n“Right now, we’re most likely looking at it as an accident,” said Crawfordsville Assistant Police Chief Hal Utterback. “We’re waiting on toxicology results to see if there was anything further.”\nPreliminary tests showed that Woehnker had a blood-alcohol content of 0.04 percent, he said. Final toxicology results will likely take four to six weeks.\nAdministrators believe the men used underground tunnels to get inside the building. Once they reached the rooftop observation deck, officials suspect Woehnker climbed over safety railings to get to the east side of the roof, where he slipped.\n“They’re extremely dangerous places to be. ... The building itself was secure,” said Wabash College spokesman Jim Amidon.\nWoehnker was a member of the swim team and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Counselors met with members of both groups Sunday, Amidon said. The swim meet Monday was canceled.\n“To be honest, the students are not handling this situation well,” Amidon said. “It’s hard for all of us.”