Auburn death update: Ronald Gary Taunton, 55 dies when dump truck runs over him

An employee of East Alabama Paving Company was killed Monday at an Auburn, Ala., work site when a dump truck accidentally ran over him, authorities said.

Ronald Gary Taunton, 55, of Columbus, was hit by the dump truck around 1:15 p.m. CST, Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said. Taunton was apparently directing equipment in the 2600 block of Lee Road 72 when the Lee County tri-axle truck backed over him, killing him instantly, the coroner added.

The death is being investigated as an accident.

Harris said Taunton was wearing a safety vest and the back-up alarm on the truck was working.

The road was closed to traffic for a number of hours while Auburn police investigated and the area was cleared, Harris said.

Taunton worked for East Alabama Paving Company of Opelika, Ala., for 20 years.