A man was killed Monday fixing a dump truck in Mississippi when scalding asphalt fell on him, police said.
Officers responded to a call about an accident about 10:30 a.m., Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said.
Officers found the private contractor, who was tasked with picking up asphalt, “buried under hot asphalt," Wade said.
"It appeared to be some type of malfunction with his dump truck,” he said.
He was fixing the dump truck when the asphalt spilled onto him, Wade said.
Darrell Sheriff, 41, was underneath the truck working on a hydraulic line when the tailgate opened and asphalt fell on him, The Associated Press reported.
His family said he was a “good, hard-working family man,” Wade said.
Police will continue to investigate, but the incident appears to have been an accident, Wade said.
