A Westmoreland County man was killed yesterday when the mobile home he was trying to move shifted and pinned him to the ground.

James C. Skovira, 48, of Acme, was attaching wheels to the underside of the mobile home when "the jack slipped, and the mobile home shifted and sagged," said county deputy coroner Dennis Johns.

Mr. Skovira was hired to remove the trailer from a small trailer park at 142 Cardinal Drive in Jeannette. The accident happened between 2:45 and 3 p.m., Mr. Johns said.

Mr. Skovira was pronounced dead at Westmoreland Hospital at Jeannette at 5:29 p.m. He was discovered by his son, who had been sending him text messages and became concerned when he did not respond.

Mr. Johns said the cause of death was asphyxiation due to compression injuries of the chest.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.