Tyrone Smith, 66, died after rescuers pulled him from a retention pond Monday following an excavator accident at a construction site in Davie, Florida. The incident happened in the 2200 block of Shotgun Road, east of the I-75 interchange with Royal Palm Boulevard.
Police were sent to the site after receiving reports of a possible drowning. When they arrived, they found an excavator submerged in the retention pond. Rescue crews then pulled Smith from the water.
Smith was in cardiac arrest when rescuers found him, according to Davie Fire Rescue officials. He was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where he later died.
The accident quickly became the focus of an investigation involving several agencies. Davie police said Tuesday that the incident appeared to be accidental. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating the workplace accident.
Smith was an employee of Downright Engineering, a company representative confirmed. The representative also said Smith was married. The company has opened its own investigation into the accident but declined to comment further.
Authorities have not released a detailed explanation of what caused the excavator to become submerged or what happened immediately before Smith entered the water. Those details are expected to be addressed as the investigations continue.
The incident has also brought a sudden loss to Smith’s wife, family, friends and coworkers. He was working at the construction site when the accident occurred, turning a routine job into a fatal emergency.
For now, investigators are focused on establishing exactly what happened at the site. Smith’s loved ones are left to mourn his death while police, OSHA and his employer work to piece together the events that led to the accident.
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