A Florida man was crushed to death by a bulldozer while he was using a porta-potty during his work shift. Aaron Henderson, 43, was killed on Friday afternoon while working as a traffic controller at the North Central Landfill in Polk County, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
iStock/ewg3D- Henderson was killed in a tragic accident. At the time of the horrific accident, employees were putting equipment away as they wound down their shifts for the day. The bulldozer operator was driving his rig up an embankment but had a somewhat limited view because of the elevated blade on the machine.
- The bulldozer driver had no idea he was riding over the porta-potty. Once the driver reached level ground and turned the massive machine, he heard what was described as a “loud crumble” and realized he had gone over the porta-potty. “He immediately exited the bulldozer and ran towards the porta-potty to see if anyone was inside of it,” the PCSO statement said. “At that time, he observed Henderson unresponsive inside the porta-potty.”
- Sadly, Henderson was pronounced dead at the scene. Henderson, who worked as a “spotter” at the landfill which oversaw trucks coming in and out of the area, was sadly unable to survive his injuries. Authorities called the situation a “tragic, industrial accident.”
- Henderson is the only person to ever have died at the landfill. “The landfill is a dynamic, industrial environment with movement of hundreds of trucks coming to unload and heavy equipment at the landfill all day long,” county manager Bill Beasley said about the accident. “We have never experienced anything like this here.”
- The North Central Landfill has extended its deepest condolences to Henderson’s family. “Last night’s incident was a tragic accident,” said board chair Martha Santiago. “Our board asks that you keep the family and friends of the deceased in your thoughts and prayers.”
