Columbus Fatal Industrial Accident

A tragic accident claims the life of a four state man. Forty-three-year-old Richard Depriest of Joplin died after an industrial accident in Columbus, Kansas. Emergency crews were called to Maple and High School streets in Columbus around 12:30 Monday afternoon. Little is known about how the accident occured, but officials say Depriest was working with Olds Trucking of Joplin paving a nearby driveway when the accident happened. Columbus Police Chief Larry Delmont told KSN that Depriest was working on the heavy piece of machinery when it somehow came over the top of him. Officials say Depriest was not killed instantly. The accident is currently under investigation. Demont said, "We just have after any kind of accident have to follow up on investigating and seeing if it was the fault of the machinery or equipment and other people have to do the same thing, so we`ll just hold back until they get there to find out." It is unknown at this time what the cause of death is. Depriest`s body is being sent to Topeka for an autopsy. Co-workers of Depriest say he was a family man who loved children. They also say he was a pee-wee baseball and basketball coach in the four-state area. Reported By: Jennifer Haile