Conservation Officers search for missing quarry employee

CRAWFORD CO. – Indiana Conservation Officers are searching for a rock quarry employee after the dump truck he was operating fell into a water-filled rock quarry pit.  

At 2 p.m. Tuesday, emergency personnel were dispatched to a rock quarry at Mulzer Crushed Stone Inc., near the 20000 block of Alton Fredonia Road in rural Crawford County.

A Mulzer employee was operating a dump truck weighing several tons near the edge of the pit when the truck slipped over the edge, dropping several hundred feet into the water.

Responders’ initial search efforts were hampered by steep, unstable terrain near the pit. Mulzer employees helped by constructing a temporary path that allowed conservation officers to access the water by boat. Sonar images taken from the boat confirmed the location of the truck.

A remote-operated vehicle (ROV) submersible with a camera and sonar will be used today to further assess the vehicle before putting divers in the water.

Assisting agencies at the scene included the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department, Crawford County Emergency Management Agency, Leavenworth Fire Department, and Indiana State Police.