Nebraska urban explorer dies in freak accident three days before his 21st birthday while exploring city sewer
A Nebraska urban explorer has died in a freak accident inside a city sewer system just three days before his 21st birthday.
Trevon Anderson, 20, had been navigating the sewers beneath the state's capital city of Lincoln with two friends early Saturday morning.
At around 3:05am, Anderson attempted to climb out of a sewer in the Havelock neighborhood using a ladder when it is believed that he fell and struck his head.
Emergency personnel rushed to North 65th Street and Logan Avenue, where they found Anderson 'several hundred yards' within the sewer system, according to the Lincoln Police Department.
He suffered a severe head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lincoln police told the Daily Mail that the group of friends had been inside the sewer system for between 90 minutes and two hours before the presumed fall.
Anderson's death is believed to be accidental at this time and an investigation is ongoing.
Urban exploration is when people visit man-made structures that are off-limits, abandoned or tough to access such as catacombs, sewers or deserted building sites.
Trevon Anderson, 20, died while exploring the Lincoln sewer system. Police believe that he fell off a ladder and struck his head
The incident happened around 3:05am on Saturday near North 65th Street and Logan Avenue, according to the Lincoln Police Department
Anderson's mom, Alissa, told the Daily Mail: 'People need to stop assuming s*** and being evil.'
She described him as a 'smart and funny' 20-year-old boy with good grades who was in his junior year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
'He was going places and doing things,' Alissa said. 'Exploring anything and everything he could was so much fun to him.'
The grieving mother added that her son 'never thought he'd end up hurt.'
Anderson's aunt, Ashlie Chavez, told the Daily Mail that her nephew was 'having harmless fun with his friends.'
'Nothing sinister,' she added.
A GoFundMe for Anderson started by Chavez said that he died 'doing what he loved, surrounded by his best friends.'
Anderson did not have life insurance, according to the fundraiser. His mother Alissa will need time off from work to grieve and to help his younger brother and sister.
As of Tuesday morning, which would have been Anderson's 21st birthday, the fundraiser had raised about $6,000 of its $6,500 goal.
Anderson's sister Kaylan told the Daily Mail that her brother was a 'badass.' He died at the scene
Anderson was a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Police said he suffered a severe head injury
Chavez said Anderson's death was 'the hardest day of my life to date.'
'If you knew Trevon, you know that he was the smartest guy, so full of life with the biggest dreams,' she wrote.
Chavez said she did not know how she would move on from her nephew's sudden death.
'I don't know how to even begin to pick up the pieces,' she posted. 'I do know that our family needs all the thoughts, prayers, and good vibes you can send our way.'
Anderson's sister, Kaylan, told the Daily Mail that he was a 'badass.'
'For nearly 21 years of my life I have had my brother by my side,' she wrote on social media. 'He was my best friend and my entire heart.'
'He lived an amazing life and Im [sic] so beyond grateful God chose me to be his sister,' she added.
Anderson and his friends had been inside the sewer system for between 90 minutes and two hours, according to Lincoln police
Ashlie Chavez, Anderson's aunt, said that her nephew was having 'harmless fun with his friends' at the time of the accident
Five years ago, a Reddit user asking for abandoned places in or near Lincoln was told that the 'storm sewer tunnel should be wide open.'
Lincoln police told the Daily Mail that they did not know what Anderson and his friends were specifically doing while they explored the Lincoln sewer system.
Anderson's two friends were not hurt, according to KETV. They have not been named by police or family.
Urban exploring is not inherently illegal, but it can lead to misdemeanor charges when explorers enter private property.
It can also be dangerous, since the sites in question tend to be very old or in decrepit condition.
