MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- A Middleburg man was killed Thursday evening when a vehicle he was working on fell on top of him, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

Thomas Black, 48, was working underneath a van that was propped up on a concrete block and wooden boards in the yard. When the boards gave way the vehicle fell on top of him, deputies said.

Black was beneath the van for an unknown period of time before he was found by his 4-year-old daughter, who deputies said notified a neighbor.

"She realized something bad had happened, and she looked and realized her dad was bleeding. So, she went back in the house and got Band-Aids and put the Band-Aids on his face," said Aaron Nelson, who worked with Black.

Friends of Black said he was a man who knew cars well and had worked with them for most of his life. They said that's why his death surprised them. They said Black was working on the van for a friend and was going to drive it to Georgia this weekend.

One of his neighbors, Frazier Blair, tried saving Black.

"I couldn't hardly hold my composure. Right now, it's taking everything I can do to keep from choking up," Blair said. "We checked for a pulse, but we didn't find anything at the time, but we went ahead and jacked the van up where we could roll Jeff out from under the van."

Officers said the reason they believe the van collapsed in the first place is that the ground was soft with standing water left from when it rained earlier this week.

Blair said he and Black were neighbors for 14 years and dealing with his death is unexpected and will be difficult.

"Jeff was a friend that everyone needs in the community. He would do you a favor and never ask you one dime. He was such a good neighbor," Blair said.

According the sheriff's office, Black's daughter was released to his sister.