Man killed after track hoe overturns into Green River


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RANDLETT, Uintah County — Divers recovered the body of a Duchesne County man Thursday from a track hoe that overturned in the Green River east of Pelican Lake.

Keith Haslem, 61, of Arcadia, was employed by R. Chapman Construction and was working alone at the Uintah Water Conservancy District's Green River Pumping Station when the accident occurred, according to Uintah County Sheriff's Cpl. Troy Slaugh.

"He was attempting to clean out a sandbar and move out some rocks," Slaugh said. "We believe at this point that he had intentionally gone down to the water to do the work that he was going to do. It's only then that something went awry."

Investigators don't know what caused the track hoe to overturn. A water district employee found the partially submerged machine on its right side when he arrived at the pumping station about 8:30 a.m. and called for help, Slaugh said.

Several people entered the water to try to determine whether Haslem was still inside the track hoe before Uintah County search and rescue divers reached the scene. Divers recovered Haslem's body about 10:20 a.m.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, Slaugh said.

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