A 77-year-old truck driver from South Glen Falls died in a tragic accident after he was buried by his own load of dirt that he was dumping at the Clinton County landfill in Morrisonville, Iowa, last Friday.
Pearly J. Provo, who worked for Troy Topsoil of Mechanicville, was attempting to dump a load of heavy, wet topsoil from his trailer, and got out of his cab to check if it had finished unloading.
Apparently, all the material had not completely left the dump box, and dirt slid from the bed, striking Provo in the chest and stomach, knocking him down then covering him completely.
Despite frantic efforts by witnesses to uncover Provo, the driver died shortly after arrival to Champlain Valley Physicians’ Hospital in Flattsburgh, deputies said. Investigators believe he died of internal injuries.
Provo had lived for many years in Salem and had recently moved to South Glens Falls.
“He was very educated, and he was all about safety,” family friend Linda Gifford told the Post-Star.
“That’s why it was so much of a shocker when he was killed. And for a man who was 77 years old, he was also in great physical shape. He was also a very good mechanic,” she said.
Clinton County Sheriff Dave Farvo said an investigation is underway to make sure the truck didn’t have any flaws that could have contributed to the accident.
“We had the State Police Commercial Vehicles Unit come in and go over the vehicle to make sure there were no defects,” he said. “Everything checked out OK.”
Sources
North Country Gazette
Post-Star