An Indiana resident fell to his death when his work vehicle slid on the edge of an overhang and plummeted several hundred feet.
The Crawford County Coroner’s Office in Indiana identified the 69-year-old man named Bruce Vernon, who had worked as a dump truck driver at the location for 25 years.
It is still unknown if the initial fall caused his death, or if he drowned and died after the fall. Mulzer Crushed Stone, his employer, managed the excavation site which is also known as Cape Sand Quarry, an unincorporated area on the Kentucky border that is close to the Ohio River.
Authorities have declared his death as an accident.
It took until September 13—a whole day after his fall—to find the veteran driver’s body. He submerged along with his truck, so the Indiana State Police had to utilize both divers and a remote submersible.
Vernon’s body and truck were reportedly discovered 20 to 30 feet underwater. Rescuers had to create a temporary trail down to the water’s edge first due to the terrain’s extreme unsteadiness, before utilizing their boats and sonar to proceed with the search and rescue operation.
“As you can imagine a quarry is not the most stable environment to work in. Our efforts were hampered by the terrain,” Indiana Conservation Officer Jim Schreck stated.
“For our searches, we have to make sure it’s a safe, stable environment for them to even enter the water,” Schreck added.
Vernon’s obituary shared how he loved his job so much that he frequently arrived at the office an hour early so he could interact with his coworkers outside of business hours.
According to reports, the tobacco-chewing churchgoer loved reading, watching old westerns, keeping up with Indiana University sports, and spending time with his family.
He obtained a degree from Indiana University in addition to graduating from the state’s Paoli High School. The Indiana driver’s parents died before him. He is leaving behind his wife, three kids, numerous grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
A study also revealed that 30 fatalities are thought to occur annually as a result of mine and quarry accidents.
