RIO VISTA–
The massive search for a man trapped inside in the cab of an excavator that slipped off a barge into the Sacramento River in Rio Vista is over.
The independent contractor routinely moves heavy equipment from Decker Island, but this time something went wrong. Authorities say the operator somehow rolled the excavator off the side of the barge while trying to move the equipment from the Island to the barge.
“It is my understanding in the transferring of this excavator this mishap happened and the excavator landed in the water, causing the drowning,” said Tom Farrell, CEO of DI Management.
The operator of the barge never surfaced and a massive search involving the U.S. Coast Guard, Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, San Joaquin’s Sheriff’s Department and a DART team lasted five hours.
The operator’s body was recovered around 5:45 p.m. As for the victim, little is known about him except that he’s the sole proprietor of River’s Edge.
Authorities have identified the man as 49-year-old Pittsburg resident Richard Wayne Alexander.