A 61-year-old man died after he was pinned under the tow truck he was operating Saturday night in the Salt Lake area.

Police said the collision happened at Bennion Drive at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday when the motorist attempted to tow an unoccupied vehicle that disconnected from the arm of the tow truck.

“The 61-year-old male motorist inadvertently placed the tow truck into reverse, at which time he collided with a curb to the rear of the tow truck and fell out of the open driver-side door of his tow truck, and was subsequently pinned between the tow truck and the vehicle in tow,” according to the police report.

The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead. His identity was not immediately released.

Police said the motorist was not wearing a seatbelt and his driver’s side door was open at the time of the crash.

Police said speed does not appear to be a contributing factor to his death. It is unknown whether drugs or alcohols were factors.

This marked the 12th traffic fatality on Oahu this year compared to 11 during the same time in 2022.

The investigation is ongoing.