Sheriff’s officials in Harrison County today (Friday), identified the victim of an accident that occurred a little after 5-a.m. Thursday, near the Hallett Materials plant. A large dump truck was found submerged in the water in a sand pit near Dunlap. Crews spent hours trying to remove the truck, and recovered the man’s body Thursday afternoon. He was identified as the truck’s driver, 38-year old Christopher McMullen, of Madelia, Minnesota.

Authorities say the truck had been traveling northbound on a private road when it failed to make an eastbound turn. The vehicle drove over a dirt berm and rolled down a steep embankment before coming to rest submerged in a sand pit, under water. Hallett Materials crews had been in the process of digging a pit to collect sand and gravel, which is then loaded into dump trucks and unloaded in a different area. Sheriff’s officials say the recovery effort was slow because of thick ice, and the size of the dump truck, which is believed to have been carrying 166,000 pounds of material.

When the truck was removed from the pit at around 4:15 p.m., McMullen was dead inside the cab. An autopsy has been ordered. The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department says the recovery effort was led by crews with the Woodbine Fire Department, with assistance from dive teams out of Crawford County, Carroll County and from Yutan, Nebraska. Other agencies assisting at the scene included: Harrison County Emergency Management; Harrison County Roads Department; The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Woodbine Police Department.  Aarow towing was called to remove the submerged truck from the water.