A worker preparing to pick up a roll-off dumpster was struck by a pickup truck and dragged at least 100 feet Friday morning, October 30, in Lake Wales, according to Lt. Dale Hampton with the Lake Wales Police Department.
Emergency crews were dispatched around 6:14 a.m. near 1st Street South and Emerald Avenue.
Speaking at the scene, Hampton said the worker had stopped a blue truck to pick up the dumpster. The truck’s warning lights were on, and the worker was wearing a reflective vest.
The man had stepped out to wave traffic through so he could work when a white pickup truck struck him, Hampton said. The pickup had damage to its front end.
Preliminary scanner reports indicated the man became trapped beneath the white truck. Firefighters reportedly used lift bags to raise the vehicle and free him before he was transported by ambulance to a Lake Wales hospital.
Hampton confirmed the crash was fatal and said the man’s family had been notified. His name was not immediately available.
Speed is not considered a factor, according to Hampton. Investigators were speaking with a witness who had been in a vehicle behind the blue truck and were obtaining camera footage as part of the investigation.
Lake Wales Police Department, Lake Wales Fire Department and Polk County Fire Rescue responded.
Additional information is expected in a police department release later today. This story will be updated as more details become available.
