The Indiana Department of Natural Resources reported that Indiana Conservation Officers searching for a rock quarry employee after the dump truck he was operating “fell into a water-filled rock quarry pit,” have recovered the body. The accident took place at Mulzer Crushed Stone Inc., near the 20000 block of Alton Fredonia Road in rural Crawford County.
Shortly before noon, divers recovered the body in water between 20- to 30-ft. deep with the help of a remote operated vehicle (ROV) submersible sonar unit. Divers entered the inverted vehicle and extracted the body.
Identity is being withheld pending family notification.
The employee was operating a dump truck near the edge of the pit when the truck slipped over the edge, dropping several hundred feet into the water.
Responders’ initial search efforts were hampered by steep, unstable terrain near the pit. Mulzer employees helped by constructing a temporary path that allowed conservation officers to access the water by boat. Sonar images taken from the boat confirmed the location of the truck.
Assisting agencies at the scene included the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department, Crawford County Emergency Management Agency, Leavenworth Fire Department, and Indiana State Police.