A state inmate being held in the Jessamine County Detention Center died Monday in an accident while on work detail.

John Michael Hager, 35, of Jessamine County, was part of a crew of inmates clearing brush near the Kentucky River, said Mike Riley, deputy coroner. Hager had been using a chainsaw to cut a tree when the tree split, fell onto some branches, then bounced back and fell onto him, Riley said.

Hager was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:02 p.m. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.

Jailer Cecil Moss said Hager was one of four inmates, along with a supervisor and state road workers, who were working at the scene.

He said Hager had been serving a five-year sentence for a probation violation. He had been held at the Jessamine County Detention Center since March 2008, Moss said.

State records indicate Hager had been convicted of drug trafficking.