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Man crushed to death when dumping trailer falls on him

The truck was undergoing repairs at a Pinellas Park business.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — A man died after a work-related accident Tuesday, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

The incident happened about 11:37 a.m. at Junker Joe Hauling on 65th Lane North in unincorporated Pinellas Park. Paramedics arrived and pronounced 59-year-old Joseph Freeman Jr. dead.

Investigators learned one of Freeman's 8-by-12-foot dumping trailer needed repairs because a pin that held the hydraulics on the trailer was coming undone.

Deputies said Freeman and one of his workers lifted the dumping bucket and installed a safety bar, then removed the safety pin in order to fix it.

When he raised the bucket, however, the safety bar came loose and the bucket fell on Freeman, pinning him between the bucket and the trailer's frame.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was notified.

The investigation is continuing.

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