Lynn man dead after fall from roof

SALEM – A 21-year old employee of Olympic Paint and Roofing of Peabody died Friday morning after he fell off of a roof at 292 Lafayette St.Working on the roof of the new home of the First Baptist Church of Salem, Benedelso N. Ovalle of Lynn fell shortly before 9 a.m., after he allegedly attempting to re-position himself on a ladder.Salem Police Lt. Paul Lemelin said the work crew was in the process of removing old slate tiles from the roof and replacing them with shingles when the accident happened.?I was told he fell about 20 to 23 feet to the ground,” he said. “He was working on an extension ladder. After he scaled the ladder to the top and brought shingles to the roof, he reportedly felt unsafe with his footing and turned around to re-adjust the ladder. He must have lost his footing from there and fell head over heels to the ground.”Lemelin said a Medflight helicopter transported Ovalle from Salem Hospital, and was en route to Boston, when the victim?s conditioned worsened.?The helicopter was turned around and he passed away at Salem Hospital a short time later,” he said.According to Lemelin, the incident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.