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DuBois man killed in landfill death

A DuBois man was killed in a landfill landslide last week in Elk County.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, William L. Pierce, 49, of DuBois, had been operating a wheeled trash compactor at the Greentree Landfill, owned by Advanced Disposal Inc., at about 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, when “a large portion of the landfill collapsed down an incline, burying multiple pieces of heavy machinery and endangering five company employees.”

Four of those employees escaped or were pulled to safety without injury, police said.

The fifth, Pierce, could not be found.

The instability of the slide and the weather hampered search efforts.

“Search and rescue efforts commenced immediately involving units, assistance and manpower from: Advanced Disposal, the Pennsylvania State Police, Elk County fire departments and ambulance services; the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA); Elk County Emergency Management Agency; Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue; Elkland Search and Rescue; the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; the Salvation Army; several local businesses; and many other state and federal agencies,” according to police. “On Friday, Feb. 10, at 10 a.m., search crews utilizing heavy earthmoving equipment located Pierce’s machine lying on its right side under approximately 40 feet of shifted soil and refuse.”

Workers used hand tools to unearth the cab of the compactor. They found Pierce dead inside.

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