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An employee of Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 was killed Tuesday morning after a backhoe operator lost control of the machine and “caused the death of a co-worker,” according to Sheriff J.E. “Eddie” Guerra.
The sheriff said on Twitter that the incident occurred north of Mile 4 North and Midway Road along a drainage canal at around 11:42 a.m.
Guerra said deputies responded at that time to what he described as “a workplace accident.”
An investigation has been launched and is ongoing, according to the sheriff’s tweet early Tuesday.
The county has since announced that another drainage district employee was hospitalized as a result of the incident.
“The Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 expresses its deepest condolences to the family of our deceased team member and his coworkers,” drainage district General Manager Raul Sesin said in a statement Tuesday.
According to Sesin, the men were working along a levee in preparation for hurricane season when a backhoe “shifted and fell down an embankment, causing the death of one worker and injuring the second,” a county news release stated.
The identities of the employee who was killed, the employee who was injured and the backhoe operator have not been released as of press time.
The county contacted authorities “immediately and first responders were on the scene within minutes,” according to the release, which went on to state that safety officers are currently investigating the incident.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information provided by Hidalgo County officials.
