Operator Dies When Excavator Falls into Water

Aug. 21, 2024
Amphibious excavator was working on Eagles Island in North Carolina.

Austin Eugene Furner, 26, was operating an amphibious excavator on a body of water when it overturned. His body was recovered later that day after the excavator could be stabilized, according to StarNewsOnline. The incident occurred on a water project on Eagles Island in North Carolina.

According to WECT, the project was run by the Army Corps of Engineers and involved improving cells used for the “safe disposal of dredge material from the Wilmington Harbor.”

In video of the scene, the excavator undercarriage is the only piece of the machine above water.