Tragic work accident: Man (†41) is buried under boiling hot asphalt and dies

Mississippi (USA) - The US state of Mississippi was rocked by a tragic work accident on Tuesday: a 41-year-old building contractor was buried under asphalt and died at the scene of the accident.

Darrell Sheriff had been driving a dump truck loaded with boiling hot road surface. When his vehicle suddenly broke down, the 41-year-old tried to repair it in the morning.

While he was lying under the dump truck working on the hydraulic line, it happened: the loading flap of the construction vehicle suddenly opened and the red-hot asphalt poured onto the worker, according to the local police, according to the Daily Mail.

Witnesses at the scene tried to save the man, who was completely buried under the road surface, but the 41-year-old was so badly injured that he died at the scene.

His relatives rushedto the sceneafter the incident. "It's very terrible. It's very tragic," said one of the people present. Darrell was a "good" and "hard-working man" who was just trying to "earn a living".

Relatives and friends have already said their goodbyes on Facebook. "I will miss my 'duck', I love you, boy," wrote a relative of the deceased.

The police must now clarify how the terrible accident occurred. The asphalt that Darrell had loaded onto his vehicle is said to have had a temperature of around 135 to 148 degrees Celsius.

The fumes and smell alone can cause health problems such as headaches, skin irritation or vomiting.