AUBURN — Police said an Oxford man died in a logging accident Monday afternoon at a sand pit on Gracelawn Road.

Thomas Staples, 57, died when a log fell from a cherry picker and struck him, Deputy Police Chief Jason Moen said in a news release. Staples was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston where he died.

The logging truck is owned by Ryan Kane Trucking and Custom Sawing of Oxford. Ryan Kane, Staples’ cousin, was loading the logging truck when the accident occurred. According to Moen, Staples was not an employee of the company, but was observing.

The incident is under investigation by the Auburn Police Department.