Rock slide crushes excavator, kills worker at Sterling quarry

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

The worker 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.

"No signs of life"

"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.and crews continue to work to recover the deceased," Lindsay Corcoran, a spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney, said in a statement Thursday afternoon

The Mine Safety and Health Administration is now at the site trying to figure out how to secure the area and get the worker out. The worker has not been identified yet.

Sterling quarry closed

"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 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."