Pennsylvania worker crushed to death by massive rock salt pile

Jan. 2, 2014: A worker at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation facility dumps salt into a truck as they make preparations for an expected winter storm. (AP)

A massive pile of salt used to clear icy roads has fallen on a worker at a suburban Philadelphia storage facility, crushing and killing him.

Falls Township police say the accident happened Thursday afternoon hours before a massive snowstorm was set to arrive in the area.

The 100-foot-tall pile of salt toppled over and trapped the man, who was working a backhoe. Rescue crews were dispatched but couldn't save him.

There's no word on what may have caused the accident.