Authorities identified the victim as Stephen Mattson, 42
NEED TO KNOW
- A worker at a construction site died in what authorities called an “apparent accidental death” on April 8 in Nashville
- The victim, identified as Stephen Mattson, was pinned between a forklift operated by another worker and an excavator
- “I just heard a lot of people screaming and crying,” a witness said
Authorities said a worker was killed in what they described to PEOPLE as an "apparent accidental death" at a Nashville construction site.
The incident occurred on the morning of Wednesday, April 8, at 3015 Ambrose Ave., the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said.
According to a preliminary investigation, an unidentified worker assigned to move lumber up a hill to the main site was operating a forklift truck when he said that the electronics on the vehicle suddenly turned off.
The truck began to roll backward down the hill, the MNPD said, and the worker was unable to brake and move away from Stephen Mattson, who was operating an excavator at the bottom of the hill.
Authorities said Mattson, 42, was pinned between the truck and the excavator and died at the scene.
“I just heard a lot of people screaming and crying,” a witness told NBC affiliate WSMV.
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Another witness who worked across the street told the same outlet, “You could tell by everybody who were going over there that they were shocked by what they were seeing.”
“They were very upset and you can tell they were very close,” he later added.
Detectives are investigating Wednesday's incident, the MNPD said. A spokesperson for the MNPF told PEOPLE that the incident is not being considered a criminal matter at this time.
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