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A man has died after asphalt was poured onto him while he tried to fix his malfunctioning dump truck.
Jackson Police have confirmed officials were called to AJ Materials at around 10.30am on Monday (November 4) regarding an accident.
At the scene, officers located a private contractor who had been ‘buried under hot asphalt’ following ‘some type of malfunction’ with his vehicle, according to Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade.
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The man has since been identified as 41-year-old Darrell Sheriff.
Police understand Sheriff was working underneath his truck on a hydraulic line when the back of the vehicle opened up and unloaded hot asphalt over his body.
Asphalt is a composite material used in construction for a variety of applications including roads, railway tracks and aviation, writes Aggregate Industries.
“As he tried to fix the vehicle mitigation issue, the vehicle actually unloaded all this hot asphalt onto him,” Wade told the press via a Facebook video.
“You know, my prayers, condolences, thoughts, my heart goes out to his family.”
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Wade confirmed that the individual’s relatives have been contacted and that they had described Sheriff as a ‘good, hardworking man trying to make a living’.
“The Jackson Police Department has conducted a death investigation,” the Police Chief continued, stating officials are currently treating Sheriff’s death as accidental.
Individuals on the scene allegedly tried to help the man, with one describing him as ‘trying to fight’ through his injuries.
However, they claimed Sheriff’s injuries were ‘just too enormous for him to survive’.
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When asked what it was like to work on a tragic case like Sherrif’s, Wade admitted it was ‘horrific’.
He continued: “It was horrifying and is something that you do not want to see. You know seeing him was one thing but actually talking to the family members and their hurt, their pain. Their shock.
“You know this Monday morning, people are just going to work. They don’t want to hear about a family member who’s lost his life. As they stated to me, just simply trying to make a living.”
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He added that he wanted the Jackson community to keep Sherrif’s family ‘uplifted in prayer’.
Tributes have since poured out for Sheriff across social media, with someone writing on Facebook: “God brought my cousin home today!! A very humble man [I'm going to] miss you cousin. I'm lost for words.”
Another commented: “R.I.P to Darrell Sheriff man we been boys since high school. Shame damn life doesn't come with any guarantees. Nothing but Love. You never know how or when, you just know one day it will happen but always pray that it won’t.”
UNILAD has contacted Jackson Police Department for further comment.
Ella Scott