Worker hospitalized after bulldozer rolls, ejects him

WEST VALLEY CITY — A construction worker was flown to the hospital Monday after the bulldozer he was riding in rolled and fell as far as 40 feet into a gravel pit.

Mark Dean, 50, was working in a bulldozer at a sand and gravel pit near 5400 South and 6800 West when the bulldozer went over the edge of a pile, West Valley Fire Battalion Chief Bob Fitzgerald said. What caused the bulldozer to tip and fall is under investigation, but Fitzgerald said there was some ice at the site that may have caused the bulldozer to slip.

The bulldozer dropped 30 to 40 feet, rolling two to three times and ejecting Dean from the machine.

"Parts of the vehicle came off," Fitzgerald said. "One of the fuel tanks landed on top of him. Our crews got here, got the fuel tank off of him, extricated him and prepared him for the flight."

A medical helicopter transported Dean to University Hospital for treatment. Fitzgerald said the man had multiple injuries and was in extremely critical condition, but crews were able to stabilize him for transport.

Joe Johnson, vice president of Kilgore Paving and Maintenance, said Dean had been an employee of the company's since August and had "experience in this kind of work previously."

"This is very infrequent," Johnson said of the incident. "We go through quite a bit of training in what we do."

The company is currently conducting its own investigation into what happened.

"Obviously our thoughts and prayers and concerns are definitely with the employee and his family," Johnson said. "We're definitely aware of them at this time and hope for a speedy recovery."

Contributing: Nkoyo Iyamba

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