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ELLENSBURG -- A 55-year-old Chewelah, Wash., man was killed Monday morning in a logging accident north of Ellensburg, Kittitas County sheriff's deputies said.

The name of the victim or the company he was working for were not immediately available Monday.

About 10:30 a.m., the man was hooking a trailer to his semi at a timber landing in the Schnebly Canyon, about 12 miles north of Ellensburg, when the vehicle rolled backwards. He was crushed and died at the scene, according to a news release from Undersheriff Clay Myers.

A brake failure apparently caused the rig to begin rolling. Myers said investigators continue to examine why that happened.

The state Department of Labor and Industries, the Washington State Patrol and the Kittitas County prosecutor's office, acting as coroner, have joined the investigation, Myers said.