Dump Truck Driver Dies After Being Buried Under Hot Asphalt
A 41-year-old man went underneath his truck to fix a hydraulic line when the tailgate opened, pouring hot asphalt onto him.
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A man was killed after a dump truck malfunction caused a load of hot asphalt to pour on top of him.
The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. November 4 at AJ Materials in Jackson, Mississippi.
According to Fox 8 News, Darrell Sheriff, 41, went underneath the truck to fix a hydraulic line when the tailgate opened, and asphalt fell on him. Sheriff is believed to be a private contractor.
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade told the press that some individuals on the scene tried to help get him out, but his injuries were too severe. “You can just think of the amount of damage that was done to him with a load of asphalt – burning hot asphalt – coming down upon his body.”
Wade called the incident “horrific” and “tragic.”
Sheriff's family arrived on the scene and described him to authorities as “a good, hardworking family man just trying to make a living.”
Police are investigating the incident, saying the death appears to be accidental.
View the press briefing with Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade, courtesy of the Jackson Police Department, below:
