CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A cement truck driver struck a “big rock” while reversing and lost control of his vehicle as it slid down a hillside and killed the driver this morning, authorities said.
Liston Pickering, 61, an employee of Heavy Materials LLC, was positively identified as the deceased, the Virgin Islands Police Department said today.
The case began shortly after 9:30 a.m. today, when 911 dispatchers directed officers to investigate an auto accident involving a cement truck that went over the hillside in the Smith Bay area of St. Thomas, according to the VIPD.
While traveling to the scene Central Dispatch relayed via radio that the driver is pinned in the truck and the
truck is at least 200 to 300 feet downhill, police said.
Central Dispatch also relayed that the driver was “unresponsive,” after the accident, according to the VIPD.
Responding officers immediately contacted the Motor Carrier Unit and asked for its assistance with the accident, police said.
Officers also contacted emergency personnel with VIFEMS and St. Thomas Rescue, according to police.
VIFEMS personnel rappelled down the hillside to the accident scene and established at approximately 10:12 a.m. that Pickering showed no signs of life, VIPD spokeswoman Sakeeda Freeman said.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver was reversing south-eastward uphill with a load of cement when his rear right tire struck a big rock that was on the right side of the roadway,” Freeman said. “The cement truck began to slide downhill, and the driver was unable to gain control of the truck.”
The truck then went over the hillside flipping several times and eventually came to a stop down the hillside, according to Freeman.
This matter remains under active investigation.
