Darrell Sheriff had a typical Monday work day. On November 4, the 41-year-old was working his usual job as a private contractor in Mississippi when a terrible catastrophe claimed his life.
According to Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade, officers responded to an accident report around 10:30 a.m. According to Wade, the Sheriff found himself “buried under hot asphalt” when authorities arrived at the scene. The worker was working on a dump truck when the vehicle carrying enormous amounts of hot asphalt turned on him.
“It appeared to be some type of malfunction with his dump truck,” Wade stated during a press briefing. According to AP News, the 41-year-old was working on a hydraulic line underneath the dump truck when the tailgate opened and asphalt fell on him. The investigation into the tragedy is still ongoing.
Lone Star Paving routinely delivers asphalt to construction sites at blistering hot temperatures of 275 to 300 degrees. Asphalt is also known to hurt and burn human skin, and the fumes produced by the material are harmful, according to nj.gov.
When the collision occurred, authorities say eyewitnesses attempted to assist Sheriff, but the searing asphalt burned and eventually engulfed the man. “They said he tried to fight to make it through those injuries, but they were just too enormous for him to survive,” said the village head. The sheriff’s death was considered an accident by authorities, although the case is still being investigated.