A Columbus man is dead after a Saturday afternoon accident at an Oktibbeha County construction site.
Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt told The Dispatch that 27-year-old Justin Holmes died after being ejected from a bulldozer at a student apartment housing construction site on Bardwell Road.
Hunt said Holmes was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident happened at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Holmes worked as a large equipment operator for Columbus-based Burns Dirt Construction.
Nick Parish, a project manager for Burns Dirt, said it’s not entirely clear what happened to Holmes. He said he fell off of the bulldozer, which then ran him over. He’s not sure how Holmes fell off the bulldozer.
“He was one of our top employees,” he said. “He was a really great guy and always had a smile on his face. We’re devastated here. You never want anything like this to happen. And when it does, it just blows you away.”
Parish said Holmes had worked with Burns Dirt for about a year.
Holmes’ body has been sent to Jackson for an autopsy. Hunt said he expects results in about a week.
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