JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A street sweeper operator killed in Mandarin on Saturday when he was sucked underneath the machine has been identified, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
Officials believe the man, Robert Shiver, 49, was trying to get something from under the machine in a parking lot behind a McDonald’s restaurant at the intersection of Loretto Road and San Jose Boulevard when he was sucked underneath it.
According to the incident report from JSO, a man and wife at a shopping center parking lot heard screaming and found Shiver partially stuck in the machinery. He was already dead, the report said.
The sweeper is owned by Countryside Power Sweeping of Coconut Grove, Florida. The company declined to comment.
Jay Maust showed up shortly after the incident. He too works in a profession with risk. He said seeing the scene hit him personally.
“I own a roofing company, and to see these types of things happen, it’s horrific. It’s awful,” Maust said. “God, I just can’t believe it.”
JSO Sgt. Mark Musser said police worked throughout the day to get in touch with Shiver's family to break the news.
Investigators said they’re also trying to gather information on how this exactly happened.
“Businesses in the area had some surveillance," Musser said. "We’ll be reviewing that to see what occurred. No foul play. (It) appears to be a terrible accident at this point."