A Mississippi man died in a horrific, freak accident this week after being buried alive in hot asphalt while trying to repair his dump truck.
The incident occurred on November 4 at AJ Materials in Jackson, MI, while contractor Darrell Sheriff, 41, was working on the truck's hydraulic line. Suddenly the tailgate opened and asphalt spilled onto it. Associated Press reports. At a news conference Monday afternoon, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade shared details of what happened.
“On arrival, [officers] “We located a person buried under hot asphalt,” Wade explained. “It turned out that the dump truck he was there to collect asphalt had some sort of malfunction. “While he was trying to repair the vehicle and alleviate the problem, the vehicle actually dumped hot asphalt onto him.”
“My prayers, my condolences, my thoughts, my heart go out to his family,” he continued, noting that he spoke with a family member who described Sharif as a good, hard-working man. “What happened here this morning and what has transpired is such a horrific, horrific situation… family members at the scene are injured, traumatized, and rightly so.”
Wade said the police department conducted a thorough investigation, but noted that the incident appeared to be an accidental death.
“There were some people at the scene trying to help him,” Wade added. “They said he tried to fight his way out of his injuries but they were too bad for him to survive.”