LeFlore County Man Dies In Bulldozer Mishap

NewsOn6.com

POTEAU, Oklahoma -- The body of an elderly Le Flore County resident was recovered Wednesday night in an abandoned coal mine strip pit after a bulldozer he was driving fell into the pit. 

LeFlore County Sheriff Bruce Curnutt says 74-year-old John Fox was making a path for cattle to get to the water in the pit, when the edge of the pit gave way. 

The accident occurred in the Williams community on private property. 

Curnutt says a family member called 911 at 4:45 p.m. after looking for Fox and finding his hat floating in the water. 

Divers from Poteau Search and Rescue recovered the Fox's body in about 20 feet of water at about 7 p.m. 

Fox is a retired farmer and retired school teacher with the Cameron School district in LeFlore County.

This is the second bulldozer death this week in eastern Oklahoma. 

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says a 45-year-old Chelsea man died when a bulldozer he was working on slipped into gear and ran over him Tuesday morning in Craig County. 

11/16/2010 Related story: Bulldozer Accident Takes The Life Of A Chelsea Resident