Owner killed in explosion
PHILIPPI, WV — After further investigation of an explosion in Barbour County on Wednesday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports that one of the two individuals killed was the owner of the gas company. An explosion at Midland Resource Recovery Inc., a gas company located on Barbour County Highway in Moatsville, killed two individuals and left one other injured.
U.S. Department of Labor representative Leni Uddyback-Fortson explained that the facility where the explosion took place cleans and decommissions old odorant tanks from gas companies. “The owner and two employees were reportedly in the process of decommissioning an odorant tank,” Uddyback-Fortson reported. “An employee and the owner of Midland Resources Recovery Inc. received fatal injuries when a tank they were working on exploded, and the third employee received serious injuries and was transported to the hospital.”
Mead, CO — A construction worker killed after an oil tank battery caught fire not too far from Mead on Thursday has been identified by the Weld County coroner. Oscar Lopez Velasquez, 32, of Greeley was discovered dead at the scene of the fire that also injured three other workers, who suffered burns following the incident. This incident comes a little more than a month after an Anadarko underground line was blamed for a deadly explosion that killed two people in Firestone.
Body recovered of trapped worker at NY cesspool collapse
HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (AP) — Rescue crews have recovered the body of a worker killed in a cesspool accident on Long Island. Police say Edward Sinnott was installing a new system at a house in Huntington just before 1 p.m. Wednesday when the hole collapsed, burying him under as much as 15 feet of dirt. The 59-year-old worker from Huntington was pulled from the sinkhole about six hours later. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Worker falls to her death from billboard in Lowndes County
VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) — A woman who fell to her death from a billboard along a south Georgia interstate has been identified as 28-year-old Amber Hale. The Lowndes County Coroner’s Office said Hale was doing routine maintenance on the Interstate 75 billboard in the Valdosta area when she fell to her death May 18.
Window Washer Electrocuted In Oakland
OAKLAND, CA – A window washer has died after being electrocuted in Oakland Tuesday morning. According to emergency dispatchers, the incident happened around 10 a.m. in the 540 block of North Neville Street. The man was working in a cherry picker when it came in contact with a 23,000-volt power line. The victim has been identified as 46-year-old Matthew Blackburn of Jefferson Hills.
Driver plows through Happy Valley construction zone, killing 1 worker, injuring 2 others
Investigation continues after worker killed in trench collapse
Uniontown, PA — Officials are still trying to determine what led to a deadly trench collapse in Westmoreland County on Monday. Investigators said the victim, Vaughn Kopetsky, 60, was working in the trench along County Drive in Rostraver Township. Officials said Kopetsky was using a ladder to climb out of the trench and an unsupported wall around him collapsed. Relatives said Kopetsky worked for RA Monzo for 30 years.
Man fell to his death while working at U.S. Steel’s Ecorse plant
Southgate, MI — Although few details are available, Ecorse police have confirmed that a man working at U.S. Steel was killed at about 3:30 a.m. Monday in an accident inside the main plant. Ecorse police and fire services were not called for assistance because the company has its own emergency response service.Nevertheless, police said the information they received was that a man fell about 20 feet to his death. It is not clear if the fall happened as a result of a crane collapse.
Hughson truck driver killed in Atwater crash
Atwater, CA – The truck driver killed when a tanker truck exploded in Atwater was identified as a Hughson resident, according to the California Highway Patrol.The deceased was identified as Kamkyo Ramon Gnotsavath, 57, of Hughson. He was a driver with the Williams Tank Lines out of Stockton.The tanker truck was in route to deliver 8,600 gallons of gasoline to an Arco gas station on Bell Lane when it crashed and exploded Tuesday morning.
Tow truck driver killed in Linthicum crash
California Inmate Firefighter Dies When Tree Falls on Him
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California prison inmate died Thursday while fighting a wildfire, authorities said. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that Matthew Beck, 26, died when a 120-foot tree uprooted and fell on him in remote Humboldt County, about 320 miles (515 kilometers) north of San Francisco. Prison officials said Matthew Beck was leading a crew clearing brush to contain a fire when the tree fell on him. Beck died before a helicopter could reach him. Beck was convicted of burglary in Los Angeles County in 2014. He was serving a six-year prison sentence at an inmate fire camp in Del Norte County. Beck is the fourth California firefighter to die since the state created prison firefighting crews in the 1940s.
Ga. volunteer firefighter dies from head injury
Montezuma, Ga — A firefighter injured while battling a house fire in central Georgia on Saturday has died, friends and family confirm. According to Macon County Fire Chief Micah Kauffman, Darrell Plank died Tuesday just before 6:30 p.m. as a result of head injuries he received while responding to a house fire in Montezuma, Ga.
Norwood employee dies on job
Norwood, NC — A Norwood town employee who was also a Center Rural volunteer firefighter was killed Tuesday afternoon when he rear-ended a stopped tractor trailer. Christopher Joel Coone, 28, died in the 1:11 p.m. crash at U.S. Highway 52 and N.C. Highway 731, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol. Coone was driving south in a town-owned 2016 Ford work truck when he crashed into the back of the southbound tractor trailer that was waiting to turn left on N.C. 731 from U.S. 52, reports show. Coone had been a part of the rescue team that responded to Monday’s recovery of a suicide victim in the Rocky River. Some of those responders were up late until early Tuesday morning with the water recovery.
Ex-Convict Charged With Killing NY Homeless Shelter Worker
NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say they’ve charged an ex-convict with killing an employee of a Hudson Valley homeless shelter. Police in the city of Newburgh say 51-year-old Wilfredo Mercado was arrested around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday a few blocks from where Robert Munson was slain inside the Youth Advocate Program building. Officials say the 61-year-old Munson was working the overnight shift when he was killed early Wednesday morning. Police say Munson was assaulted but haven’t said how he was killed.
Truck driver killed in early-morning interstate crash
Employee dies following fire
Mt. Gilead, NC — One of the two men injured in last week’s fire at Mohawk/Unilin Industries near Mt. Gilead has passed away from injuries sustained in the fire. Seedy Bah and Raymond Thompson were both airlifted to hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Bah, 45, of Biscoe, passed away the following day from his injuries. The condition of Thompson, 35, of Mt. Gilead, who was working as a temporary worker at Mohawk, is not known. “We experienced a great loss last week,” said Nikki Green, human resources manager at the Mt. Gilead facility. “Seedy was a member of our work family and was well liked and respected by everyone here. He had a great work ethic and sense of humor, and anyone who encountered him walked away with a smile because his was contagious.” Bah was employed as an assistant operator and had worked with the company for almost nine years.
Idaho Falls truck driver killed in Utah crash
BOX ELDER COUNTY, UT- Idaho Falls truck driver Charles P. Ganieany, 43, was killed at around 4 p.m. Friday when his 2005 Freightliner Semi truck crashed in Box Elder County, Utah. The Utah Highway Patrol said the truck, owned by L.B. Barlow Trucking, was pulling two empty asphalt tar tankers. The semi drove into the median of Interstate 15 near milepost 390 and continued northbound through the median across both southbound lanes then off the west side of the southbound freeway.