A tire blew while being inflated on farm equipment in western Wisconsin and fatally struck the man who was pumping it up, authorities said.

The incident occurred about 8:30 a.m. Friday on County Road E in Spring Brook Township, roughly 20 miles northwest of Eau Claire, according to the Dunn County Sheriff's Office.

"While the tire was being inflated, the tire depressurized and the escaping air launched the tire and rim" into the man's head, the Sheriff's Office said.

The man, 20-year-old Seth Splitter, who lived near Elk Mound, Wis., was declared dead at the scene.

The wheel was on a wagon used to haul silage, the Sheriff's Office said.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482