Police in Mississippi’s capital said a man died Monday while trying to repair a dump truck when asphalt spilled on him.

Darrell Sheriff, 41, was under the truck working on a hydraulic line when the tailgate opened and asphalt fell on him, the Jackson Police Department said in a statement. Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade told reporters that officers found Sheriff, who was a private contractor, “buried under hot asphalt.”

“It appears to be some sort of malfunction with his dump truck,” Wade said, adding that it was a “horrible situation.”

The incident happened at AJ Materials around 10:30 a.m. Monday, CBS affiliate WJTV. reported.

Wade said people on scene tried to help the sheriff and “he tried to fight through those injuries, but it was just too big for him to survive.”

The police chief said the incident traumatized witnesses and family members.

Wade said family members said Sheriff was a “good, hard-working family man who was just trying to make a living.”

Police ruled the death an accident.