Woman crushed, killed by heavy equipment on California beach

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A woman who authorities said was sleeping on the beach in San Diego’s North County died Monday after a piece of heavy machinery rolled over her.

Emergency crews were called to an area near South Oceanside Harbor just after 10 a.m., and Oceanside Police Department Lt. Tom Bussey told KNSD that a Caterpillar tractor plowed into the unaccompanied, unidentified woman who died at the scene.

Police told KGTV that the tractor was at the beach as part of a dredging project at the harbor.

“It’s a very tragic accident,” Bussey told KNSD.

Bussey said the tractors were being used to move dredge pipes to a staging area for future removal and noted such projects occur every few years.

“Something happened. A fluke thing. I don’t know,” he told KNSD. “I’m sure her family is devastated over this and the driver, probably, who caused this.”

Cox Media Group