Raleigh, N.C. — David Champion, 33, was killed Tuesday afternoon when the back end of an ambulance on which he was working fell on him at the Wake County General Services Fleet Management facility, Wake County manager David Cook said during a news conference Wednesday.

A car jack might have slipped from underneath the ambulance that fell on the mechanic, according to preliminary findings by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Paramedics waiting on another ambulance at the Capital Boulevard garage attended to his injuries. He was transported to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead, Cook said.

Work in the garage, where 14 people are employed, was halted for at least 48 hours, and Wake County safety inspectors and the North Carolina Department of Labor are investigating.

"Wake County is decidated to finding out exactly what happened," Cook said, reading from a written statement. "We are working with officials and investigators and assisting in every way we can."

Cook said the Department of Labor has inspected the garage five times since 1990 and never found serious violations.

Champion worked for the county for more than four years. The county is providing grief counseling to employees.