Rockslide crushes excavator, kills worker at Sterling, Massachusetts quarry - CBS Boston

By Riley Rourke, Kristina Rex

Updated on: August 23, 2024 / 1:15 PM EDT / CBS Boston

STERLING - A worker in an excavator was killed in a rockslide at a quarry in Sterling, Massachusetts Thursday.

The worker, later identified as 67-year-old Brian Curtis Derby of Townsend, was in the machine at the Onyx Corporation's sand and gravel pit on Stone Crest Way when a large section of a rock ledge collapsed onto it just before 8 a.m.

"Crews used camera equipment to assess the scene of the collapse and determined there were no signs of life. The worker was pronounced deceased at 8:39 a.m," Lindsay Corcoran, a spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney, said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

Crews worked through the night and Derby's body was removed from the rubble Friday morning.

The company released a statement Friday afternoon, saying they are "devastated" by what happened.

"Brian was a dedicated 11-year employee of the company and was respected and loved by many. We will continue to provide support to Brian's friends and family. Professional counseling is being provided to everyone at the company while we mourn this tragic loss," an Onyx spokesperson said.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration(MSHA) is now trying to figure out how to secure the area. Onyx also said that MSHA had been at the facility "as recently as Tuesday for a company-requested inspection due to expanded operations."

Nearby workers say they knew something was wrong when they saw the first responders.

"There's never really any emergency vehicles that ever go out back there that I can remember. There's never one ambulance, let alone a county's worth of emergency crews," said Eric Hyche, who works nearby.

"It's astonishing to see that much wreckage on top of an excavator. You never see something like that on a day-to-day basis. Then you come to realize it's a 90-foot wall that came down. It's scarier."

"Onyx has closed ALL LOCATIONS from today through the weekend. We will resume business on Monday, 8/26," the company posted on its Facebook page late Thursday morning.

Sterling is about 20 minutes north of Worcester. The Onyx Corporation is based in Acton, Massachusetts.

The land is owned by The Grands, LLC and Love for Grands, LLC, but the quarry is operated by Onyx. It opened in 2018. The removal of the retaining wall began in July, according to permit obtained by WBZ-TV.

The Sterling Select Board voted to file a cease and desist order for the company and the landowners until an investigation is completed and they determine the area is "safe and suitable for operation."

Riley Rourke is digital producer for CBS Boston. She graduated cum laude from Emerson College with a degree in Journalism in 2023. She has previously worked for Emerson student organizations like WEBN and the Emerson Channel.

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