UPDATE:
A man died early Tuesday morning after falling off machinery he was working on at the South Florida Water Management District’s (SFWMD) C-43 Reservoir in LaBelle.
The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office says the man fell while working on machinery around 3:30 in the morning at a construction site on Congen Road. Deputies and first responders confirmed the man died on the scene.
Watch Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski's report here...
In footage Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski took back in May when he toured the reservoir - you can see some of the heavy machinery used for this massive project, but it’s still unclear what type of equipment was involved in the accident.
SFWMD said they’re investigating, and detectives believe this was an accident. The man’s name has not been released, but his employer, Phillips & Jordan - the head contractors for the project - said he worked for them.
In a statement, they said they’re “deeply saddened” by the loss and are doing everything they can to support his family and coworkers. Phillips & Jordan couldn’t confirm if the equipment involved belonged to them or a sub-contractor, but they stressed that safety is their top priority and are working to figure out exactly what happened.
They say more updates will be shared as information becomes available.
ORIGINAL REPORTING:
One person has died following an incident at a water management project area.
The Hendry County Sheriff's Office says they received the call around 3:38 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3rd.
Deputies say the caller reported that a man had fallen while working on a machine - saying the person was severely injured and possibly deceased.
The sheriff's office says the incident occurred at 3338 Congen Road - a South Florida Water Management project area.
First responders and deputies confirmed the victim was deceased.
Detectives believe this was an accidental death.
