MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — California police say a homeless woman sleeping in a cardboard box was struck and killed by heavy machinery operated by a road crew clearing a homeless camp.
The Modesto Bee reported Wednesday that 33-year-old Shannon Marie Bigley was killed Aug. 1 in a grassy field alongside a highway where a homeless camp was built.
Modesto police say the incident occurred while a California Department of Transportation crew was attempting to clear the encampment about 90 miles east of San Francisco. Details on the machinery was not disclosed.
State officials four months ago rejected a union grievance filed by workers who object to clearing homeless encampments. The union argued unsuccessfully that workers lack safety equipment and training.
A Caltrans comment expressed sympathy for the victim's family.
