City worker dies in equipment accident

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) -- A New Bedford city worker was killed this morning after being crushed by a large piece of construction equipment he was working on.

55-year-old Carlos Tabares was making repairs on a Bobcat at the Water Department on Shawmut Avenue Friday when the hydraulics failed and the bucket swung down, pinning him against the cab of the machine.

The mechanic was found unconscious by a colleague and immediately transported to St. Luke's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Tabares has an employee for the city for the past nine years.

Mayor Jon Mitchell said in a statement that "his death is a great loss to the Department of Public Infrastructure and the City of New Bedford, and we all grieve his passing."

The incident is currently under investigation by New Bedford police.

Stay with wpri.com and Eyewitness News for more on this developing story.