TERRE HAUTE — Authorities say an Illinois man drowned in the Wabash River in western Indiana after breaking his neck when he dove into the water.
The Vigo County coroner says 46-year-old John Kemper Jr. of Marshall, Ill., would've been unconscious or unable to respond after suffering the neck injury.
Police say Kemper had been repairing a cabin with three other men on property owned by his father when they went to the river Sunday night at a spot about 10 miles south of Terre Haute.
Sheriff's Chief Deputy Clark Cottom tells the Tribune-Star that Kemper misjudged the waist-deep water level when he dove in. Kemper's friends couldn't find him after he didn't resurface and called for help.
Kemper's body was found hours later on Monday a short distance downstream.
