Mississippi Worker Killed When Hot Asphalt Falls from Dump Truck

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) 鈥� Police in Mississippi’s capital said a man died Monday when he was trying to repair a dump truck and asphalt poured onto him.

Darrell Sheriff, 41, was underneath the truck working on a hydraulic line when the tailgate opened and asphalt fell on him, the Jackson Police Department said in a statement. The police department classified the death as an accident.

The incident occurred about 10 a.m. at AJ Materials, a construction supply company in Jackson. Police Chief Joseph Wade described the scene as “horrific,” and said officers found Sheriff “buried under hot asphalt” when they arrived at the scene, Magnolia State Live news outlet .

Dump truck accidents in the United States are not unusual. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has some 800 worker deaths from dump trucks, from 2011 to 2020.

If Sheriff qualifies for workers’ compensation benefits, his survivors could see some compensation, but less than in most other states. That includes up to $5,000 in burial allowance. His spouse could receive 35% of his average weekly wage, for a maximum of 450 weeks, according to the Worker’s Compensation Research Institute’s latest compilation, released in 2022. Many states provide two-thirds of the average weekly wage for the spouse.