A 53-year-old De Soto man died and a 40-year-old De Soto man was seriously injured when a piece of heavy equipment they were fixing fell on them, Tuesday.

Stanley A. “Buck” Walleser was killed when working on the hydraulics of a front-end loader skid steer, according to the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department. The accident occurred at Thompson’s Dirt Works, a garage owned by Albert Thompson at about 2 p.m.

Both Walleser and Thompson were working on the skid steer when a hydraulic line was compromised and the hydraulic fluid level dropped rapidly. This caused an elevated bucket to fall suddenly. Both Walleser and Thompson were pinned by the bucket and arms of the machine. They were extricated by the De Soto Fire Department and First Responders.

Vernon County Chief Deputy Sheriff Jim Hanson said that Walleser owned the skid steer, and he and Thompson were both working on it.

“A fitting was twisted off a hydraulic line, which caused the fluid to drain,” Hanson said.

One of Thompson’s employees, who was working elsewhere in the garage at the time, notified authorities, Hanson said.

“The fire department and first responders extricated them from under the bucket and arms of the skid steer,” Hanson said.

Walleser was pronounced dead at the scene. Thompson suffered serious injuries and was taken to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center by Tri-State Ambulance. His condition was upgraded later last week and was released Monday, according to Gundersen Lutheran personnel.

An investigation into the incident is continuing.