Man falls from ladder at factory

OTTAWA - A man apparently wasn't feeling well before he fell from a stepladder Thursday morning at a Putnam County factory and ended up in the hospital.

Robert Leever, of Defiance, fell four to six feet to the ground from a ladder at Nelson Manufacturing at 9:38 a.m., according to Sgt. H. Brad Nelson of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

The man told a co-worker he didn't feel well, said Deputy Greg Westrick, of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

A medical helicopter took Leever to Lima Memorial Health System, where he was listed in critical condition Thursday evening, according to a supervisor at the hospital.

Rescue crews originally responding to the call told dispatchers the man wasn't responsive, but he eventually began breathing normally.

Nelson said the reason for the fall was unknown.

Nelson Manufacturing, located east of Ottawa on U.S. Route 224, is a designer and manufacturer of trailers and crane attachments.