Summer vacations, eclipses, white power marches and murders –but one constant: people keep dying in American workplaces
One killed in industrial accident on Friday
Wichita, KS — A construction worker was killed Friday afternoon when part of a concrete roof fell on top of him. The large warehouse at 29th and Mead was being demolished in sections, said Wichita fire battalion Chief Scott Brown. Brown said he did not know if the portion of the building the man was in was meant to have come down at that time. The man, who was about 50 years old, was discovered by co-workers. The Wichita Fire Department was able to remove the body from the rubble using heavy lifting equipment. “A whole roof came down, and it came down in pieces,” Brown said.
Second police officer dies after overnight shooting in Florida
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Two police officers were killed and two wounded in nighttime shootings in two Florida cities where the officers were responding to suspected drug activity and reports of a suicide attempt, police said Saturday. One officer died shortly after the incident. Officials said the second officer died Saturday afternoon. The two Florida officers were killed late Friday night in Kissimmee, just south of the theme park hub of Orlando. Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said at a news conference Saturday that a suspect, Everett Miller, was arrested several hours after the shootings. In Kissimmee, officers Sam Howard and Matthew Baxter were checking suspects in an area of the city for drug activity when they were shot, O’Dell said earlier. They did not have an opportunity to return fire. “They were surprised,” O’Dell said. When asked whether they were ambushed, he said, “It’s too early to tell, but it’s leading that way.”
Man struck and killed by vehicle after his big rig breaks down on Highway 99
Salida, CA — A 66-year-old truck driver from Stockton was killed after he stepped out of his broken-down tractor trailer and was struck by a vehicle on Highway 99 north of Salida on Friday afternoon. Officers were called to the scene on northbound 99 north of Kiernan Avenue at 12:25 p.m. on a report of a vehicle collision, according to Tom Olsen, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. When they arrived, they found the truck driver on the ground on the east shoulder of the road. He was taken to Modesto’s Doctors Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
OSHA investigating fall that killed teen in Hindu temple
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ — The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the fall that killed a 15-year-old boy inside BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Thursday night. The agency did not elaborate on the fatal fall, and only said they are aware of the incident and looking into it, an OSHA spokeswoman said. The Hatfield, Pa. boy fell about 45 feet inside the main temple building at about 3:50 p.m. and was pronounced dead about an hour later. He was volunteering at the campus.
22-Year-Old Worker Dies After Falling Down Elevator Shaft at Manhattan Condo Project
New York, NY — A 22-year-old worker died after falling down an elevator shaft at an under-construction Manhattan condominium tower Friday, authorities say. Fire officials were called to the 52-story tower under construction at 281 Fifth Avenue, near 30th Street, after getting a call about the accident around 9:40 a.m. The worker, Jonathan Lupinsky of Yonkers, was pronounced dead at a hospital. The circumstances surrounding the accident weren’t immediately clear.
Florida man fatally shoots AAA worker over long response time
Miami, FL — Surveillance video recently released by police captures the moment a Miami man shot and killed a AAA contract worker in July. Jesus Esquivel, 63, confessed to fatally shooting the man over the amount of time it took for AAA to get him assistance, the Miami Herald reports.
19-year-old Vilonia sanitation worker killed in crash
Vilona, AR — A memorial fund has been set up for a 19-year-old sanitation worker who was killed on the job on Monday. Weston Chapman of Cabot was a passenger in the Zella’s Trash Service Inc. Freightliner truck when it hydroplaned on the wet road, hit a ditch and rolled over, according to an Arkansas State Police report. The driver, 59-year-old Terry Cathy of Cabot, was injured but “is stable and [expected] to recover,” the sanitation company wrote in a social media post.
State police identify truck driver killed in fatal Interstate 81 crash in Tully
TULLY, N.Y. — State police have identified the driver killed in a crash earlier Thursday morning along Interstate 81 in Tully. Patricia S. Rodgers, 48, of Burlington, New Jersey, was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said. Law enforcement were called to a portion of I-81 south just north of Exit 14 (Tully) at about 7:10 a.m. after passersby saw a heavily damaged guardrail, officials said. Rodgers had been driving a tractor-trailer north along the roadway when she went across the median and through the southbound lanes, state police said.
Worker Dies After Fall In Superior Hotel Elevator Shaft
SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — Superior police say a 63-year-old maintenance worker died when he fell to the bottom of a hotel elevator shaft. Authorities say the accident happened Tuesday evening at the Androy Hotel. Hotel staff and other witnesses told police and medical staff that the elevator had been malfunctioning, and that the night maintenance worker was trying to fix it. He apparently used a key to open the elevator door and went through the open door, not realizing the elevator cart was above his floor. Police say the worker fell about 15 to 20 feet to the basement. He died at the scene
Employee killed in industrial accident in Shelby County
HELENA, Ala. — A female employee at ABC Polymer (Eva Saenz, of Alabaster), in Helena, was killed in a possible industrial accident. According to Helena Police, the incident happened around 6:40 p.m. Wednesday. The employee was reportedly pulled into an industrial machine and died.
Ward Museum Employee Killed in Accident
Salisbury, MD — Brian MacIvor with the Ward Museum was killed after falling from a ladder at the facility on Saturday. A statement from executive director Lora Bottinelli said that the maintenance assistant was taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The Salisbury Daily Times reports that he had worked at the museum for the last seven years.
Georgia construction company ‘devastated’ about worker being killed at Alabama Publix
Dump truck driver killed in Western Massachusetts crash identified
Colrain, MA — A dump truck driver was killed Tuesday after crashing into a home on Jacksonville Road in Colrain. The crash took the life of the driver. He has been identified 46-year-old Robert Leustek of Winchester, New Hampshire by the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
Livermore man killed while operating forklift at worksite
Stanley Park, CA — A man who died as he was operating a forklift Monday afternoon in Lafayette was identified by the Contra Costa County coroner’s office as Edwin Gomez-Zarate of Livermore. Gomez-Zarate, 35, died shortly after 3 p.m. when Lafayette police were sent to a worksite in the 800 block of Avalon Avenue near Stanley Park. California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) officials said Gomez-Zarate was driving a forklift to load and unload paver stones for a landscaping company when he became trapped in or by something.
FDNY engineer dies at 43 amid battle against 9/11-linked brain tumor, one year after his firefighter dad’s death
New York, NY — Firefighter Robert Alexander always followed in his father’s footsteps — even in death. The 43-year-old — who worked on FDNY fire boats — died Monday of a brain tumor stemming from his time at Ground Zero. For Alexander, succumbing to a 9/11 illness is a heartbreaking family affair — a year earlier, his father Lt. Raymond Alexander, died of cancers linked to his time on the pile, FDNY sources said. “World Trade Center illnesses continue to take the lives of far too many FDNY members, now including two generations of the Alexander family — a father and son who served so bravely, for so long,” FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Wednesday.
Power line kills one landscaper, hurts another in Palm Beach
Industrial fatality worker identified as “Stevie” Lawrence of Millbrook
Clanton, AL — The 23-year-old employee who died in a tragic industrial accident on Aug. 8 has been identified by the Clanton Police Department as Steve “Stevie” Andrew Lawrence of Millbrook. According to a statement by Captain David Clackley, police responded around 7 a.m. to a call about an injury to an employee working on a machine at Adient metals manufacturing plant in Clanton. “It was determined that while the other employees on the line were on a break, an employee (Lawrence) had entered a protective enclosure, and was struck by the automatic movement of that machine,” Clackley said.
Houston construction worker killed in rollover accident on Texas 21
Houston, TX — The man who died Monday morning in a single-vehicle rollover on Texas 21 was a 30-year-old construction worker who lived in Houston. According to Texas Department of Public Safety officials, Jonathan Escobar, 30, and Edi Perez, 24, were on their way to get breakfast tacos for their fellow construction workers stationed at a nearby worksite when their eastbound pickup veered off the road and flipped several times. Perez, who was wearing a seat belt, was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Escobar had not been wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was ejected from the vehicle, Morgan said. He was pronounced dead at the scene using an ID from Mexico.
Quitman County deputy killed in line of duty crash Sunday
Crowder, MS — Deputy Jimmy Clark kept candy in his patrol car and would stop and talk to the kids in Crowder and Quitman County when they got out of school. Town Clerk Stephanie Armstead said Clark loved the kids, and they loved him back. He was known and loved by everyone in Crowder, a town of between 700 and 800 people where he was the police chief before he left around two years ago to be a Quitman County deputy. Early Sunday morning, Clark was responding to a shooting call when he swerved to dodge two dogs in the road in the Falcon community on Mississippi 3, about eight miles north of Marks, fellow officers said.
2 Virginia Officers Killed in Helicopter Crash Near Charlottesville Are Mourned
Charlottesville, VA — The Virginia state police on Saturday were mourning the loss of a pilot and a trooper-pilot killed in the crash of a helicopter that had been monitoring a white nationalist and “alt right” rally in Charlottesville. “Our state police and law enforcement family at-large are mourning this tragic outcome to an already challenging day,” Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty said in a statement after the crash shortly before 5 p.m. The pilot of the Bell 407 helicopter, Lt. H. Jay Cullen, 48, of Midlothian, and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, 40, of Quinton, died at the scene of the crash southwest of Charlottesville, the state police said. The pilots were helping with law enforcement efforts in Charlottesville, where a rally of white nationalists and “alt right” groups turned violent, before the crash, state police said.
Truck Driver Killed In Fiery Crash On I-95
BREVARD COUNTY, Florida – A truck driver died as a result of injuries he sustained in a fiery crash that occurred at 4 a.m. on Sunday on I-95 near mile marker 223 in Brevard County, Florida.
Worker crushed to death by granite slab at NC business
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A worker died Friday after a piece of granite fell on him while working at NCO Custom Marble and Granite, officials confirmed. The North Carolina Department of Labor said it is investigating after the 21-year-old man was killed around 12:15 p.m. at the business on Gulf Court. Another employee was injured in the same incident and was taken to the hospital. They are expected to be OK, the company said. The identity of the victim has not been released but the company said he was the owner’s nephew. The owners of NCO Custom Marble and Granite said they are shocked and heartbroken by the accident.
Name Released of Man Killed in Industrial Accident
IRWIN, Pa. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of the man who died after he was trapped beneath the counterweight on a piece of heavy equipment at a western Pennsylvania business. Authorities say 55-year-old Timothy Grills of Penn Township was working on the equipment Thursday at Aarcon Enterprises Inc. when a portion separated and fell to the garage floor. The North Huntingdon Township company’s website says it provides heavy construction equipment and operators for major site improvement projects.
NC lineman killed while changing power pole
FAIRMONT, N.C. (WBTW) – The NC Department of Labor confirms a lineman was killed changing out a power pole Wednesday in Robeson County. The department says the incident happened at 10:30 a.m. on Fire Tower Road, across from Wire Grass Road, in Fairmont. Preliminary reports say that employees were changing out a power pole and while moving a ‘primary neutral’, there was an arc down through the pole to the ground and the victim was standing near the pole. According to Stephanie Chavis with Robeson County Emergency Management identified the victim as 24-year-old Matthew Sampson, who was employed with East Coast Electric of Pembroke.
State investigating blueberry farm after temp worker dies
SEATTLE, WA – State officials have launched an investigation into a Sumas blueberry farm to determine if any workplace conditions caused the death of a temporary worker who died Sunday. Honesto Silva Ibarra went to a Bellingham clinic complaining of headaches after picking berries at Sarbanand Farms. The 28-year-old collapsed and later died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The Seattle Times reported Wednesday that Washington Labor and Industries spokesman Tim Church said the agency opened two separate investigations: workplace safety with health inspection and employment standards.
Worker killed by concrete slab in southeast Austin identified
AUSTIN, TX — A man who died after a 15-ton slab of concrete fell on him at a southeast Austin construction site has been identified.Initial information indicates, Amir Kaman, 49, was delivering a different kind of concrete slab for a garage project when a concrete wall being installed fell over onto the cab of a truck. Two people with knowledge of the site and construction safety say that caused a chain reaction that flipped the slabs that were on the truck’s flatbed onto Kaman. When emergency crews arrived at the construction site at Wickersham Lane and Cromwell Circle on Tuesday morning, they found Kaman pinned under the slab. While they tried to extract him, Kaman died at the scene.
Police: Worker Killed After Van Hits Garbage Truck
St. Albans, VT — A Vermont sanitation worker was killed when a van rear-ended the garbage truck he was loading trash into on Friday morning, police said. St. Albans police say Casella employee Patrick Wedge, of St. Albans, didn’t hear or see the van, which was being driven by East Fairfield resident Ben Smyth.Wedge was pinned between the garbage truck and the van, and died at the scene.
Perrysburg man killed at Andersons facility in Maumee
MAUMEE, OH — A man who died in an accident at an Andersons location in Maumee Wednesday has been identified as a Perrysburg resident. According to Maumee police, Thomas C. Robinson was fatally injured as a result of an apparent industrial accident. Maumee Police and Fire responded to the location, in the 400 block of Illinois Avenue, on the report of an injured person. Robinson was reportedly working in the rail facility at the time of the incident and that matter is currently under investigation.
Oregon OSHA launches farm fatality investigation
SALEM, Oregon – Oregon OSHA confirms it has launched an investigation into the farm fatality near Milton-Freewater Saturday. It will not be a speedy process. Once a probe starts, it must be completed in 180 days. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office reports that Dominic Ferraro, 35, of Walla Walla was killed when he lost control of his combination tractor and baler. He tried to leap clear off the vehicle, but came up short and was fatally injured. The accident occurred at Klein Farms.
1 dead, 1 hurt in west Mich. civic center collapse
Holland, MI — One worker died and another was injured after a civic center ceiling collapsed Tuesday on the state’s west side. Holland Department of Public Safety police and fire units were dispatched to the Holland Civic Center at about 3:13 p.m. and found one person trapped in the debris and another injured near the collapse, which involved a small area near the east doors, authorities said in a statement.
Northfield man dies after workplace accident in Farmington
Northfield, MN — A 36-year-old man from Northfield was killed in a workplace accident at Valmont Industries in Farmington this past week. Enrique Rosas Murga died around 2:30 a.m. Thursday from “multiple blunt force injuries,” according to the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office. Rosas Murga was helping operate a machine that tapers aluminum pipe into flag poles and light poles, according to Farmington Police Detective Sergeant James Murphy.
Worker killed after reported explosion in Kalamazoo
KALAMAZOO, MICH. – A person has died after a workplace incident in Kalamazoo. According to a release from the Department of Public Safety, officers responded to the area of Palmer Avenue near Factory Street for reports of a small explosion, just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1. When they arrived on scene, they found 45-year-old Christopher Hugh Murdock suffering from severe traumatic injuries. First aid was started, but he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
Worker’s Body Found in Ohio Pub’s Walk-In Cooler
Cincinnati, OH — An employee (20-year-old Brandon Chandler) was found dead in a walk-in cooler at a restaurant in a Cincinnati neighborhood. Police say they responded to Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant on Monday morning after a fellow employee found the man’s body. The man had worked at the restaurant and pub in the Pleasant Ridge neighborhood Sunday night and appeared to have been in the cooler overnight. Police say the employee was in his 20s and did not appear to have been locked in the cooler.
Police ID worker killed in collision with SUV on Fargo airport runway
FARGO, ND – A contract worker painting markings on the runway of Hector International Airport was killed in a collision with an SUV early Monday, July 31, 2017, said Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of the Fargo Airport Authority. The worker was identified by Fargo police as Darry Arveson Jr., 48, of Glen Ullin, N.D.
Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty After Walking His Son to First Day of Kindergarten
Southport IN — An Indiana police officer killed in the line of duty last week saw his son off to school hours before his death, an interaction seen in a touching photo released by his department. Southport Police Department Lt. Aaron Allan walked his son to the bus stop on his first day of kindergarten on the day he was killed, police said. Allan, who has two sons, was responding to the scene of a car crash in Southport to aid a driver who crashed through a fence and flipped his car. But the driver, 28-year-old Jason Brown, then allegedly shot Allan multiple times.
Man suspected of killing 2 Longboat Key resort employees used to work there
LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. — The man accused of killing two employees at the Zota Beach Resort worked part time for the resort’s security company. Darryl Hanna, 29, was a guard for North Palm Beach-based Victory Security and last worked at the resort Wednesday, Aug. 2, according to information contained in the arrest warrant affidavit.Timothy Hurley, 59, a front desk manager and Kevin Carter, 51, a security guard, were found shot and killed the following Friday by a hotel guest.
Dutton, NY — The cause of death for the construction worker who died following an accident at a Dutchess Avenue development site was “crush and blunt force injuries,” according to Dutchess County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Dennis Chute. Officials have not released the name of the victim. Chute said the autopsy was conducted Aug. 4, the day after the construction worker died and another was injured due to the collapse of a retaining wall at the O’Neill Group-Dutton site. Fire Chief Mark Johnson said the wall, which had been holding in “thousands of yards of dirt for the project,” collapsed and fell onto the worker. The other worker with him was able to escape the collapse but was hit by falling material.
Concord man was fourth killed on N.H. construction site since May
Concord, NH – A Concord man was the fourth construction worker killed on a New Hampshire job site since May. The death of John Davis, 55, this past Saturday in Webster prompted an investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is looking into three other construction-related fatalities in recent months, OSHA spokesman James Lally said Thursday. Those other incidents all occurred in May on job sites outside of Merrimack County. Christopher Hewey, 37, of East Alstead died May 16 in Acworth when a trench he was working in collapsed. George Moran, 70, died the next day in Wolfeboro after falling from a scaffold, and Frederick Wilhelmi, 32, of Hudson died in late May while working for a tree service company. The Webster Police Department is still investigating the circumstances surrounding Davis’s death in Webster this past weekend. Authorities said Davis died when a construction vehicle he was operating went down an embankment and rolled on top of him.
Window Washer Who Fell to His Death ‘Worked His Tail Off,’ Son Says
NEW YORK CITY — The Flatiron window washer who fell to his death Monday when the hook attached to his harness abruptly broke was a hardworking father who scrubbed glass across the city for more than three decades to support his family, his distraught son recalled. Eduardo Monge, 56, was working on the 12th floor of 60 Madison Ave., near East 27th Street, Monday when his equipment gave way around 10:30 a.m., officials said. He plunged six stories to his death, police said. “My dad worked his tail off in this country. He came here from Costa Rica in the ’80s,” Monge’s son, Jeff Monge, 19, told DNAinfo New York outside their Bronx apartment building Wednesday.
Plymouth contractor, 29, dies after fall from ladder
PLYMOUTH, MA – A 29-year-old Plymouth man died from injuries he suffered when he fell from a ladder while working on a home Wednesday afternoon, police said. The man was working for a contractor at a home on Priscilla Beach Road in Plymouth around 1:20 p.m. when he fell from a ladder and sustained “significant head trauma,” Plymouth Police Capt. John Rogers said.
Worker killed, pinned between truck bucket and billboard
PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — A worker was killed when he was pinned between a truck bucket and a billboard sign. A Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office news release says 58-year-old Robert Tanner was working outside the Glory Days Grill in Palm Harbor Wednesday morning when he was crushed. The release says Tanner was in the bucket, 20 feet (6 meters) in the air, when he accidentally activated a control panel while leaning out. The bucket began to rise, pinning him to the sign’s metal overhang. A co-worker tried to reverse the boom from a control panel near the ground but was unsuccessful.
[…] Despite OSHA’s action, Confined Space will continue to publish the Weekly Toll, a partial list of workplace fatalities that can be found on the web. In […]