Operator dies after bulldozer ends up in Tyrrell County sandpit

TYRRELL COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A bulldozer operator died Monday after he got too close to water at a sandpit operation.

The Tyrrell County Sheriff’s Office says it happened off U.S. 64, east of Columbia.

Chief Deputy Jimmy Shelton says Kendle Davis was pushing dirt into the pit when the bulldozer fell into the water.

They are not sure when the accident happened, but the last ping on his cell phone was around noon. The foreman went to the site and couldn’t find Davis or the bulldozer, and the sheriff’s office was notified around 2:40 p.m.

The man’s body was found in about 30 feet of water around 8:30 p.m.

The bulldozer was completely submerged in the water and was recovered yesterday.

Shelton says dive teams, local fire departments, EMS, and several sheriff’s offices worked to recover the man’s body.

The North Carolina Department of Labor is investigating the workplace death.