Concrete pump truck collapses at Smith County construction site, killing worker

Published 10:36 am Wednesday, May 15, 2019

One person died Wednesday after an industrial accident at a construction site in Smith County.

The victim was identified as Jose Pena Garcia,  48, of Texarkana, Texas. Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Mitch Shamburger responded to the accident scene for the inquest.

An autopsy was ordered and the body was taken to Forensic Medical in Tyler, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. 

First responders arrived shortly before 9 a.m. at the site on a frontage road at Interstate 20 and Texas Highway 155, near Lone Star Truck Group and America’s Best Value Inn.  

Initial investigation by the sheriff’s office indicated the victim was operating a concrete boom. As he was pouring concrete at the hose end of the boom, the weight apparently shifted, causing the entire apparatus to become unbalanced. The victim was struck in the head by the boom and knocked to the ground, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified and will be the investigating agency handling the accident and determining its cause.