Work accident kills Mansfield business owner
MANSFIELD, PA — A Mansfield business owner was killed Tuesday when he was pinned under a piece of farming machinery. Lane Smith, 57, owner and operator of L. P. Smith Co., was working on farm equipment when a manure spreader rolled over on him, officials said. Mansfield fire and ambulance crews, borough police and personnel from the Mansfield Health Clinic responded to the accident at 1:54 p.m. in the area of Eighth and South Main streets. A witness told a Mansfield police officer about seeing the accident and trying to operate a nearby tractor to help but being unable to figure out how to operate it. The officer also tried, unsuccessfully, to do so. An employee from Williams Oil arrived on scene with a forklift and used the forklift to lift the spreader up enough for the officer to pull the man out from underneath the farm equipment, police said.
Coroner IDs worker killed at Lancaster County packaging plant by lift device
Mount Joy, PA — The Lancaster County coroner has identified a Landisville man killed in accident at a Mount Joy packaging plant in Mount Joy on Saturday. Robert Stauffer, 47, died after being crushed under lift equipment at around 5:30 a.m. at Phoenix Packaging, according to an LNP report. Mount Joy Fire Chief Philip Colvin said the lift device was part of a processing line. Workers had lifted the device off of Stauffer by the time emergency crews arrived, but the injuries were fatal.
Memorial fund created for man who died Friday in ‘tragic industrial accident’
Plattville, CO -Those close to the man who died Friday in a workplace accident after a silage pile collapsed on him at a farm near Platteville have created a memorial fund to help pay his final expenses and help his family with the loss. Weld County Coroner Carl Blesch identified the man Saturday as Victor Rene Cante Reynoso, 35. “The final manner and cause of death will await the autopsy report,” he said, noting that was standard procedure. “There is no indication that his death is anything other than a tragic industrial accident.” On Friday morning, one day after his birthday, Cante Reynoso was working on top of a corn silage pile at the edge of Twin View Farm removing the tarp that covered it and the tires that held the tarp in place, according to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. He climbed down and went to go pick up the tires when the silage pile collapsed on top of him.
Man dies in industrial accident in Stoystown
Stoystown, PA — A man was killed Saturday morning in an industrial accident at a Somerset County auto-wrecking business, authorities said. The man was struck in the head at Stoystown Auto Wreckers by what was described as a “rack,” a Somerset County 911 dispatcher said.
OSHA investigating after 1 killed in industrial accident along Marsha Sharp Freeway at Wolfforth
Wolfforth, TX — One person was killed in what officials are calling an industrial accident at a construction zone Friday afternoon along the Marsha Sharp Freeway in Wolfforth, according to Wolfforth police. “There had been an accident involving members of the crew of the paving company that are working on improvements to the Marsha Sharp Freeway.”He said heavy machinery was involved, and the crew member fell in the path of the machinery. Dianah Ascencio, spokeswoman with the Texas Department of Transportation, said the crew member killed was an employee doing paving work with The Allen Butler Construction Company.
McMinnville worker, 32, crushed, killed in logging incident
Tillamook, OR — A 32-year-old McMinnville man was killed Wednesday morning in a logging accident near Tillamook, officials said. Casey Schlundt was killed when logs he apparently was standing on shifted, breaking a cable and dropping the logs and him 45 to 50 feet, according to the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office. The accident, on a logging site about 5.5 miles above Gold Creek Road in Tillamook, was reported at about 8:50 a.m. Hofenbredl Timber of Willamina is logging on the site. Schlundt was pronounced dead at the scene.
Worker Killed Falling From Ladder
Bothell, WA — A construction worker, Humberto Vera Ramirez, was working from ladder when he extended his reach and fell to the ground. (Source: Washington L&I Report)
Whale disentanglements on hold after worker death
PROVINCETOWN, RI — The federal agency in charge of saving entangled whales has suspended its rescue efforts in the U.S. following the death of a marine mammal responder. Joe Howlett, a Canadian colleague of the Center for Coastal Studies right whale disentanglement team, was killed Monday while working to free an entangled right whale in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Associated with Campobello Whale Rescue, Howlett, 59, was aboard a Canadian government fast response boat at the time of the incident off the coast of New Brunswick. Mackie Green, of the Campobello Whale Rescue Team, which has been to Provincetown for training, said Howlett had just cut the whale free when “some kind of freak thing happened” and he was struck by the whale.
911 call released after trucker killed in Greenville industrial accident
Greenville, OH — A 911 call was released that included two people reporting the industrial accident that killed Shawn Davis, 44, of New Vienna. “He’s pinned between a semi truck,” a woman told dispatchers before knowing how severe Davis’ injuries were. A man then later came on the line and told dispatchers the severity of the injuries. “It’s very bad,” the man said. The man, identified as Shawn P. Davis, 44, of New Vienna, Ohio, succumbed to his injuries at 7:10 a.m. Wednesday, Greenville police said in a media release. Police said an initial investigation found Davis was partially outside the cab of his truck when he struck a docked trailer. This caused a jack to collapse, the trailer to fall, and pinned Davis between his truck door and the cab.
Heartbreaking new details have emerged about the death of “The Walking Dead” stuntman John Bernecker
New Orleans, LA — A 911 call and reports from the scene of the death of John Bernecker, a stuntman on the set of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” say the 33-year-old stuntman attempted to abort his stunt mid-execution and missed the landing cushion below him by inches. The New Orleans Advocate reports that an assistant director said Bernecker did not get “good separation” from the balcony as he jumped. The 911 call, said to come from an associate producer on the show, said Bernecker held onto the railing of a balcony he was to fall from before swinging underneath it. Bernecker fell “about 25 feet off a balcony straight onto concrete,” according to the producer’s call.
Store Employee Killed In Robbery Attempt
TAMPA, FL — The Tampa Police Department is investigating a Sunday afternoon robbery that left an employee at the 29th Street Store dead. According to the agency, officers responded to a robbery-in-progress call around 12:37 p.m. July 16. When they arrived at the 29th Street Store, they found an employee who had been shot and killed. The victim has been identified as Mohamoud Ibrahim, 60. Further details about the robbery are not yet available.
Louisiana man identified as victim in fatal Port Arthur industrial accident
PORT ARTHUR, TX – A DeQuincy, Louisiana, man has been identified as the victim in an accident near the Motiva plant late Thursday afternoon. Charles Bagley, 59, suffered massive trauma to his entire body and was killed following an accident with a pole truck at MLK and Terminal Road
Maintenance worker dies at Intel campus
PORTLAND, OR— Police say a worker died in an industrial accident at an Intel campus in Hillsboro. Hillsboro police Lt. Henry Reimann said in a news release that 50-year-old Jay Elwell died Wednesday while performing routine maintenance on a vertical industrial storage carousel. Details about what happened have not been released.
Truck driver killed in Upper Milford Twp. crash
Upper Milford Township, PA – A 55-year-old truck driver was killed Friday morning in a crash in Upper Milford Township, the Lehigh County coroner’s office said. The victim, who was not identified, was driving a tractor-trailer at 6:36 a.m., when he went off the road and hit a retaining wall
GlobalFoundries worker’s death apparently suicide
ESSEX JUNCTION, VT — A GlobalFoundries worker died in an apparent suicide Thursday at the Essex Junction plant, police say. The person’s name and gender have not been released. This is the second time in a year that a suicide has been reported at the company.
Another Construction Worker Killed: 20-year-old Igor Alves
BOSTON, MA –The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health (MassCOSH), extended its condolences to the friends, coworkers and family of Igor Alves, 20, killed after exiting his vehicle on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Alves was working for Boston Best Construction driving a truck pulling a trailer carrying scrap metal on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Noticing the cargo was not secure, Alves and his co-worker got out of the truck to tie down pieces that had become loose. They were then stuck by a BMW.
Shipping Container Crushes Worker at South Philly Port
Philadelphia, PA — A 52-year-old man (Pat Kelly) was killed Monday afternoon after a shipping container fell on top of his truck at a port in South Philly, police say. Greg Iannarelli, chief counsel for the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, tells Philly Mag that the workplace accident occurred along the Delaware River at the “Publicker Property,” adjacent from Packer Marine Terminal on South Columbus Boulevard.“As far as we know, it sounds like a stack of containers was unfortunately knocked over by a piece of yard equipment and one landed on a truck containing the deceased,” Iannarelli says.
Tow truck driver hit and killed on the job in Russell County
RUSSELL COUNTY, Kan. — Tow truck driver Jeffery Harris was on the clock when he was struck by a vehicle just before midnight on Friday. He died on the scene. Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Hileman says Harris was stopped on the shoulder of I-70, just outside of Russell, to tow a broken down vehicle when a truck hit him. He was standing beside his tow truck on the shoulder,” says Trooper Hileman. “That’s when the other vehicle came along, drove onto the shoulder and struck him while he was loading the vehicle.”
Worker killed after electrical shock in Salem County
Construction worker identified by employer
WOBURN, MA – The construction worker killed on Tuesday at the Woburn Public Library project was identified yesterday by the company which employed him. In a press release distributed to various media outlets, Schnabel Foundation Co. of Southboro identified Mark Camire, 32, of Dunbarton, N.H., as the decedent. A “long-time employee” of the company, Camire was reportedly the father of two children. Camire was reportedly part of a Schnabel crew that was hired as a subcontractor for W.L. French Excavating of North Billerica, which was in turn a subcontractor for Consigli Construction, which is in charge of the $31.5 million expansion and renovation project at the library. Camire was reportedly working on the foundation in the northwest corner of the historic H.H. Richardson building when a 1-ton rock broke free and fell on him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family: Post Officer Worker Dies After Collapsing on Route
KANAWHA CITY, WV (WOWK) – Family members confirm to 13 News that a loved one who is a postal worker died while delivering mail, after collapsing on a front porch. Charleston Fire says that a postal worker was transported to an area hospital after receiving a call that someone passed out from heat exhaustion. Family members identify that man as Ronnie Bowles. Family members tell us he was working Tuesday afternoon on Virginia Avenue in Kanawha City, when he collapsed on a the porch of a residence.
St. Louis firefighter dies from injuries in July 5 blaze
ST. LOUIS, MO — A St. Louis fire captain has died after sustaining injuries fighting a fire in the early morning hours of July 5.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the fire department says Capt. John Kemper died Wednesday. He was 59. Kemper didn’t suffer any burns. He was admitted to the hospital with what was believed to be a shoulder injury. Department spokesman Capt. Garon Mosby said Wednesday that the longtime firefighter was released from the hospital on Friday. Kemper hadn’t been cleared to return to work He was at home when he died. The department didn’t disclose the cause of death but called it a “line of duty death” in a news release.
California firefighter dies after suffering chain saw injury
Lakeside, CA – Frank Anaya, A California firefighter died July 11 in a hospital from injuries he suffered July 5 while fighting a wildfire near Lakeside in Southern California. The inmate firefighter with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation based at the La Cima Conservation Camp was throwing cut brush during line construction operations when he lost his balance and fell into a running chainsaw. He suffered a severe cut to his upper right leg behind his chaps. The 22-year old firefighter underwent multiple surgeries, but succumbed to his injuries July 11, 2017, according to the CDCR.
Dump truck driver killed after rolling down 150-foot embankment northwest of Lyons
Lyons, CO — A 69-year-old man died at a Denver hospital after being ejected from the dump truck he was driving on U.S. 36 northwest of Lyons on Thursday morning. Colorado State Trooper Josh Lewis said the man — whose identity has not been released — was eastbound on U.S. 36 roughly 5 miles northwest of Lyons about 8:30 a.m. when he crossed into the westbound lane on a left-hand curve, struck a guard rail and rolled down a 150-foot embankment. Lewis said that during the roll, the man — who was reportedly not wearing a seat belt — was ejected from the 2001 International dump truck. The man was airlifted to a Denver Health Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Trucker killed in fiery I-35 crash in Waco was from Arlington area
WACO, Texas (KWTX) The truck driver killed in the fiery six-vehicle crash on Interstate 35 earlier this week is Eugene Garfield Watts III, police and family and friends confirmed Thursday. Watts, 31, of Arlington, was one of the three people killed in Tuesday afternoon’s crash underneath the Valley Mills Drive overpass in Waco. The trucker, who friends say also owned a barber service, leaves behind a seven-year-old son and six-month-old daughter. Four semi-trucks and two passenger vehicles were involved in the deadly accident.
Trench Collapses, Killing Utility Worker In Prince George’s County
OXON HILL, MD — A utility worker died Wednesday morning after he was trapped up to his chest in a collapsed trench on Neptune Avenue in Oxon Hill, police said. The man worked as a contractor for Sagres Construction and was performing work at a water main replacement project in the 700 block of Neptune Ave. when the trench collapsed, officials with Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission said. (more here.)
Worker dies after being attacked by swarm of bees
Congress, AZ — A worker in Yavapai County has died after he was attacked by a swarm of bees. On Tuesday, July 11, at around 1 p.m., YCSO deputies were dispatched to a home north of the town of Congress after a report of a man with multiple bee stings. The victim, who was declared dead at the scene, was still covered in bees when deputies arrived. Firefighters had tho spray foam over the area so they could safely recover the body. Beekeepers also arrived to assist. The property owner told deputies the man was doing road clearing work for her with a backhoe when the attack apparently occurred.
Cable worker electrocuted, 243 customers without power in COS
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – A cable employee was taken to the hospital on Tuesday after he was electrocuted by a live wire. Around 243 customers are currently without power. The independent contractor was running a cable line near the Grandview Apartments off Pikes Peak when he was electrocuted by a live wire and was thrown off the pole. The utility pole then set on fire. Burn marks were left on his clothing and lower torso. He was talking to responders, however, he was still taken to the hospital in serious condition. At least 200 customers in the area are without power. Colorado Springs Utilities does not expect it to be back up until around 7 p.m.
Postal worker kills himself at Rolla, Mo., post office after standoff
ROLLA, Mo. • Authorities say a standoff at a Missouri post office ended when a worker was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Rolla police were called to the post office Saturday, with initial reports that the man had taken hostages. The co-workers left the building shortly after officers arrived but the man refused to surrender. After hours of attempted negotiations, a SWAT team entered the post office and found the man dead. Police identified him as 33-year-old Benedict Benito, of Rolla.
Robert Stauffer’s father, Bo, is a retired UAW member who posted his son’s death notice on his Facebook page. I have forwarded him this issue of Confined Space. Pray for the dead, fight like hell for the living. Saul Schniderman
Dear Saul,
This meant a lot to me. I sent you and email about my renewed commitment to promote workplace safety. Vicki and I are humbled by the response from our friends. Thanks so much.
In Solidarity,
Bo