IRWIN TWP, Venango County — A Franklin High School senior, who was born in Butler and has relatives in Butler County, died Tuesday after his vehicle fell on him.

Carl E. Wickline III, 18, was last seen by his family at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Wickline was going to work on his 1997 Ford Explorer at his home on Dog Hollow Road.

He was under the vehicle while working on removing the transmission when the vehicle rolled and the supporting jack stands fell.

“At some point, the vehicle dropped off its port and, unfortunately, on top of him,” said Venango County Coroner Tyler Best.

Wickline’s father woke up at 6 a.m. Wednesday and saw that his son was not in his bedroom. He went outside and found his son trapped under the vehicle.

The father jacked the vehicle up and he unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate him.

Best pronounced Wickline dead at 8:05 a.m. He said the cause of death was asphyxiation. State police have ruled the death accidental.

Best said that Wickline was working on the truck as a part of his senior project.

Wickline was born in Butler, and still had family in Butler County. His maternal grandparents, David and Esther Kelley, live in Slippery Rock and his paternal grandmother, Janet Christy, lives in Butler.

The Larry E. McKinley Funeral Home in Clintonville is handling the arrangement.

State police in Franklin and the Clintonville Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene.