Truck Driver Dies After the Off-Highway Truck He was Operating Rolled Over an Embankment and Came to Rest on its Top – Pennsylvania

A 48-year-old male truck driver (the victim) died after the off-highway truck he was operating rolled 49 feet over an embankment and came to rest on its top in 4 feet of water. The victim was hauling dirt that was being cut from a bank to clear ground for a 3-mile stretch of a new freeway project. As the victim was traveling up a haulage road, a road grader that was scraping mud from the road was traveling toward him from the opposite direction. The victim steered the truck to the right to allow the grader to pass. As he did, a portion of the built-up haulage road gave way under the truck’s right-side tires, causing the truck to overturn. The truck rolled over twice while traveling 49 feet down the embankment, and came to rest on its top in 4 feet of water. The grader operator immediately ran to the truck and pulled the victim clear. With the help of two flaggers, they placed the victim on the bottom of the truck cab. The two flaggers initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the victim while the emergency medical service (EMS) was called from a company truck. The EMS arrived at the scene within 8 minutes and summoned the county coroner, who pronounced the victim dead at the scene.NIOSH investigators concluded that, to prevent similar incidents, employers should:
ensure that employees adhere to established standard operating procedures
ensure that heavy-equipment operators are properly trained and proficient in the operation of the equipment they are assigned to operate
evaluate the possibility of installing video equipment in the cabs of heavy equipment or installing hood-mounted mirrors that would allow operators to clearly see how close their equipment is to road edges.