An accident at the John Smith Landfill on Thursday morning resulted in the death of an employee with the contracted operator, a county supervisor confirmed.
The man killed Thursday was Alfredo P. Cannella, 65, according to Capt. Eric Taylor with the San Benito County Coroner’s Office.
Supervisor Jerry Muenzer confirmed a fatality occurred at the landfill in San Benito County this morning. He said the person killed was an employee for the contracted operator, Waste Connections, overseeing the operations there. Muenzer said he didn’t have further details.
The accident was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 8:15 a.m. at John Smith Landfill, 2650 John Smith Road. The CHP online reporting system reported it was a big rig verses a pedestrian.
A CHP spokesman was not immediately available; nor was a sheriff’s office spokesman. The fire department declined to comment on details and an employee noted how its response was for standby purposes.
The CHP, though, later released this narrative:
“At approximately 0800 hours, the CHP was dispatched to the call of a possible fatality collision involving a pedestrian at the John Smith Landfill in Hollister. Upon arriving on scene, it was determined that Party #1, (a landfill worker) had been run over by a semi truck hauling refuge. Vehicle #2, being driven by Party #2 was backing up when the collision with Party #1 occurred. Party #1 sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision with Vehicle #2 and was declared deceased on scene. The Landfill was immediately closed for the investigation. Alcohol or drugs are not believed to be a factor in this collision at this time. The collision however is still under investigation.”
