Palmer man, 54, dies after 15-foot fall from scaffolding

A Palmer man died Wednesday evening after scaffolding shifted beneath him at a home off Buffalo Mine Road, Alaska State Troopers said.

Larry Wayne Bowling Jr., 54, fell an estimated 15 feet. Emergency medical crews tried to revive him. He was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m.

Troopers responded at 5:36 p.m. on Sept. 30 to a report of a person who fell from a ladder. The investigation showed Bowling fell from scaffolding instead. Witness interviews and scene observations indicated the scaffolding shifted, troopers said. They called the fall accidental and said no foul play is suspected.

The State Medical Examiner documented the scene and took possession of the body for an autopsy. Next of kin have been notified. The account does not provide autopsy results.

The troopers' account does not say what work was under way at the home. Alaska's occupational safety program lists fall prevention among its construction-safety priorities in its fiscal year 2025 annual performance plan. A separate 2025 state record describes a construction worker's fatal fall from an improvised scaffold roughly 38 feet above a lower level.