SWFL.io - Local NewsJames Curtis
•9/15/2026
An incident report revealed new details after a female died in a construction accident at Bell Mine off of State Road 82 in Lee County on Monday. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office report, the driver was trapped underwater inside a construction vehicle. Deputies said they saw the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District attempt to extricate the female from the vehicle when they arrived. The site manager for Earth Tech Enterprises said he heard a radio transmission to call 911 after a work vehicle overturned into a lake, the report stated. The man who made the transmission told deputies that he was driving a work truck in the area when he noticed damage to a parked trailer and then saw tires sticking out of the water before jumping into the water in an attempt to rescue the operator, the sheriff's office reported. Other workers attempted to rescue her but were unable to do so. Divers with the sheriff's office and the fire district were unsuccessful and determined the operator was pinned underwater in the vehicle, so recovery was required. The report detailed that a diver felt the driver's jeans and tried to pull her leg, but it would not move and seemed to be pinned in the vehicle. Deputies said they had to cut and remove the windshield from the vehicle, pry the steering wheel up and push the driver's seat back to get her out of the vehicle, according to the report. The driver was recovered and turned over to the Medical Examiner's Office and detectives for further investigation, the report stated. The Mine Safety and Health Administration was also at the scene at the time of the accident conducting a parallel investigation, LCSO said. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.