A man with nearly a half-century of mining experience was killed Friday afternoon when the forklift he was operating became submerged in water at a cement plant in Maryland.

Herman L. “Hermie” Weaver, Jr., 69, was operating the forklift in a shallow stream in the quarry at Holcim (US), Inc.’s Security cement plant near Hagerstown when the loader ran into a hole, according to a news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The forklift became submerged and Weaver was trapped inside, police said.