Truck driver crushed to death while picking up gravel shipment, Texas officials say

A truck driver was crushed to death while picking up a load of gravel in southern Texas, officials say.

Deputies with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a workplace accident at a gravel pit outside the town of La Joya at about 5 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

When they arrived at the pit, deputies found the driver dead inside the cab of a big rig, which was crushed, the sheriff’s office said.

The truck fell into the pit while the driver was stopped near it, La Joya Fire Chief Leroy Salinas told KGRV. The weight of the gravel may have been too heavy for the trailer, he said, calling the death a “freak accident.”

A justice of the peace has ordered an autopsy, the sheriff’s office said.

An investigation is underway and the sheriff’s office has asked federal workplace safety officials to assist.

La Joya is roughly 250 miles south of San Antonio.

This story was originally published January 2, 2024 at 1:10 PM with the headline "Truck driver crushed to death while picking up gravel shipment, Texas officials say."