PLYMOUTH, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) - A man died after a front-end loader accident at a construction site in Plymouth Tuesday.
The accident happened around 11 a.m. at the P.A. Landers work-site on Hedge's Pond Road, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office. When first responders arrived, they found a front-end loader driver apparently trapped in a work area where he'd been digging.
The fire chief says about 150 feet of sand came plowing down on top of the man. Rescuers tried to get to him, but they had to back off at one point because the sand just kept coming down. They had to wait for the rescuers from the technical unit and about 4 hours later, were able to get to his body.
Chief Edward Bradley said, "He got covered by the machine. It was a combination of suffocation with all the weight of the sand. It came cascading down the hill. It's like an avalanche with snow on it except it was all sand."
Charles Pace, 66, of Whitman, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials say the work place was inspected a few weeks ago and passed. The incident remains under investigation and OSHA has been called in.
FOX25 spoke to the workers son off camera who says his family is distraught and still in disbelief. He said his father had been working with the company for 14 years and that he has three kids and 8 grand-kids.
For mobile app users, click here to view photos from the scene.