Body of southern Indiana quarry employee recovered after dump truck falls in pit filled with water

CRAWFORD COUNTY, Ind. (WAVE) - Indiana Conservation Officers were searching for the rock quarry employee who reportedly fell into a water-filled rock quarry pit in rural Crawford County.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, this incident happened on Tuesday at 2 p.m. when the dump truck he was operating fell into the quarry at Mulzer Crushed Stone Inc. The dump truck weighed several tons and was near the edge of the pit. The truck then truck slipped over the edge and dropped several hundred feet into the water.

The initial search efforts by responders were hampered by steep, unstable terrain near the pit. Mulzer employees helped by constructing a temporary path allowing conservation officers to access the water by boat. Sonar images taken from the boat then confirmed where the truck was.

Indiana Conservation Officer divers alongside Indiana State Police recovered the body of the rock quarry employee on Wednesday.

Just before noon, divers recovered the body in water between 20 and 30 feet deep with the help of a remote operated vehicle submersible sonar unit. Divers were able to get inside the inverted vehicle in order to remove the body. The employee’s identity has not yet been released.

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Crawford County Emergency Management Agency, Leavenworth Fire Department, and Indiana State Police assisted in the search of this Mulzer employee.