Bulldozer rolls backward, killing 28-year-old doing maintenance on it, Missouri cops say

A 28-year-old man was outside of a bulldozer doing maintenance work when the machinery began rolling backwards, authorities in Missouri said.

The Komatsu bulldozer then struck the man, later identified as Joseph Shook, of Auxvasse, according to a state crash report.

First responders from Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and local fire department responded to the incident at about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, June 7.

Shook was pronounced dead on the private property, about a mile east of Warren, officials said.

Nobody was driving the tractor at the time of Shook’s death.

It is not clear if the man was working on his own bulldozer or if he was hired to conduct maintenance. The Missouri State Highway patrol did not immediately provide more information to McClatchy News.

Marion County is about 135 miles northwest of St. Louis.

This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Bulldozer rolls backward, killing 28-year-old doing maintenance on it, Missouri cops say."