Created: 8/10/2009 8:42:12 AM 
Epping, NH -- Officials are investigating the death of a 21-year-old man who fell about 70 feet while working with a crew that was sandblasting the town water tower in Epping, N.H. Police say the man fell and landed on his back shortly after 6 p.m. Friday. He was taken to Exeter Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Original reports only identify the man as a North Carolina resident. Epping Police tell WFMY News 2 the victim was identified as 21-year-old Matthew Sexton of Lawsonville. That's in northern Stokes County between Danbury and the state line. A facebook group was setup for friends to remember Sexton. The page says a wake is scheduled for Tuesday from 6 to 9pm at North Stokes High School. The owner of Raleigh-based Bullins Painting Inc., a North Carolina company hired to paint the water tower, told WMUR-TV that he thought the Sexton fell after unhitching himself from a safety rope to switch to another rope. Epping police and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.
