New Bedford city mechanic crushed by excavator Friday

By Gal Tziperman Lotan, Globe Correspondent

A New Bedford city mechanic died while fixing an excavator Friday, police said.

Carlos Tabares, 55, was repairing an out-of-commission Bobcat excavator at the New Bedford Water Division, 1105 Shawmut Ave., police Lieutenant John Chaves said.

Tabares was facing the machine’s cab when the arm released, crushing him against it.

Tabares was taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m., Chaves said.

In a statement, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said Tabares had worked for the city for nine years and was “well liked by his co-workers.”

“His death is a great loss to the Department of Public Infrastructure and the City of New Bedford and we all grieve his passing,” he said.

New Bedford Police and State Police are investigating why the Bobcat’s arm failed, Chaves said.

“We don’t know if it was a mechanical failure or if he tripped something while he was doing repairs on the Bobcat,” he said. “It’s an unfortunate incident.”