A 23-year-old dozer operator died May 23 after being buried along with his bulldozer in a pile of coal at a power plant in Georgetown, South Carolina.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. May 23, and it took about 24 hours to recover his body. Rescue workers first had to stabilize the coal pile before locating the dozer and the body.
The Georgetown County coroner reported that Robert Dakota “Cody” Wade Jordan died from injuries after the coal mound collapsed underneath the dozer. The Georgetown resident and Conway native leaves behind a fiancée and a son.
Jordan had worked for five years for MOR PPM, a maintenance and management contractor hired by Santee Cooper at its coal-fired Winyah Generating Station.
"We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers are with our colleague and his family,” said a statement from Bobby Ollis, president of MOR PPM.
A Santee Cooper spokesperson released a statement May 24 during the recovery operation:
“This is a difficult situation, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved and to their families. The operator works for a contractor that Santee Cooper has used for years.”
Both Santee Cooper and the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration are investigating the incident, according to news reports.
