A 41-year-old equipment operator drowned July 21 in North Carolina after the dozer he was running fell into deep water.
Kendle Davis of Scranton, North Carolina, was pushing dirt into a sand pit in Tyrrell County when ground collapsed beneath the dozer, and Kendle and the dozer fell into 30-foot-deep water, according to WCTI-12 TV news station. Kendle escaped the dozer but did not know how to swim, the station reported.
Emergency responders used sonar and divers to recover his body at about 8:30 p.m., according to the station. The Tyrrell County Sheriff’s Office got the call Kendle was missing at 2:40 p.m. after a foreman arrived on site and couldn’t find Kendle or the dozer, according to WITN TV new station.
Kendle was a military veteran and member of the National Guard. “His commitment to military technology and equipment operations earned him respect among his peers, and his leadership extended beyond the uniform into his community, his church, and his family,” his obituary reads. “Kendle was known for his generosity, humor, and unshakable loyalty.”
He is survived by his wife and children.
“The loss of Kendle is felt deeply by all who served with him, worked alongside him, and called him a friend,” the obituary reads. “His memory lives on in the stories shared, the lives he touched, and the love he gave so freely.”
The N.C. Department of Labor has opened an investigation into the incident. An online inspection report lists Hatchell Concrete Inc. of Manteo.
