68-year-old man killed in workplace accident in Hall County
Atlanta, GA — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. A 68-year-old man was killed Friday in a workplace accident in Hall County, the sheriff’s office said. The man was identified Saturday as Jake Sanders of Flowery Branch, sheriff’s spokesman Stephen Wilbanks said. Sanders, an employee of Candler Concrete Products Inc. on Candler Road, got caught between a dump truck and a front-end loader just before 8 a.m., Wilbanks said in a statement.
Tree trimmer dies after contact with live wire in Sarasota
Siesta Key, FL — A tree cutter died Sunday afternoon on Siesta Key after coming in contact with a live power line. The victim’s identity was not immediately available, Capt. Lori Jaress of the Sarasota Police Department said Sunday evening. “Apparently, the worker was in a bucket truck when contact was made with a live wire,” Jaress said. The accident occurred around 4 p.m. The victim was trimming trees on Freeling Drive and died at the scene
Railroad worker killed by train in Arlington
Arlington, TX — A Union Pacific railroad worker was struck and killed by a train Friday morning in Arlington, police said. Jon Beckman, 48, of Frisco was with other workers who were trying to switch train cars about 11:24 a.m. when the incident occurred in the 800 block of Stadium Drive, police said.
Construction Worker Killed Falling Off Roof
Warden, WA — Otto Taufen and employee of St. Joseph’s Precast Erectors LLC, fell from roof on September 22 during construction of shop and water storage. He was hospitalized and died from internal bleeding after fracturing ribs and pelvis in fall. [Source: Washington Dept. of Labor and Industries Report]
Tow Worker Found Crushed By Vehicle
San Diego, CA — A 37-year-old man was found dead at a tow yard with a vehicle on top of him Saturday morning, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD). At approximately 7:40 a.m., an employee at Kurios Towing in Otay Mesa found the worker and called SDPD. When police arrived the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators suspect a red pick-up truck may have flipped over and crushed the man.
Forklift Accident Kills Man at Amazon in Plainfield
PLAINFIELD, Ind.–A forklift accident killed a man at the Amazon facility in Plainfield Sunday, said Jill Lees, spokesperson with Plainfield Police. Lees said the incident happened about 2:30 p.m. and that when officers arrived paramedics were working on the man, but he died. She did not give out his name. Police were treating it as an accident and OSHA was expected to be at the site today to investigate.
Officials release names of three people killed in plane crash outside of Thief River Falls, Minn.
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. — Employees of Mountain West Motors Inc. in Rawlins, Wyo., gathered Saturday afternoon, Sept. 23, at the outdoor sports store to mourn the loss of their co-workers and friends. Three men were killed shortly before 8 a.m. when their small Cessna 182 airplane crashed in a stubble wheat field outside Thief River Falls. The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office identified the men as Moy Wing, 69, Brian Duke, 27, and Zach Ostertag, 26, all of Rawlins. Social media indicated both Duke and Ostertag were mechanics at Mountain West, but the Herald was unable to verify if Wing also was employed there.
Worker killed by truck at Pennsylvania Amazon warehouse
BOILING SPRINGS, Pa. (AP) – The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a worker at an Amazon.com warehouse in Pennsylvania.Cumberland County Coroner Charles Hall says 28-year-old Devan Shoemaker was killed when he was run over by a truck at the facility about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. Hall says Shoemaker was trying to help a truck driver hook up a trailer to his rig when he was accidentally run over. Another worker was killed at the same warehouse in 2014 when she was pinned between a pallet truck and a storage rack.
Yonkers Firefighter Dies At Age 48 Of 9/11-Related Illness
Yonkers, NY — A recently retired member of the Yonkers Fire Department died on Tuesday, Sept. 9/11 after battling a 9/11-related illness. Neill S. Tyndal, Jr. was 48 years old.
Worker dies in accident at Nucor in Decatur, police say
Decatur, AL — A worker has died in an accident at Nucor Steel in Decatur, Decatur Police Department Spokeswoman Emily Long said. Decatur Police and Decatur Fire and Rescue responded to a 4:15 p.m. call about an industrial accident at Nucor Steel on Iverson Boulevard in Trinity. They discovered that Melvin Gant Jr. had fallen into a vat of the waste products of finished rolled steel. Gant was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigation suggests Gant slipped into the vat while working, and his death has been ruled an accident. Police do not expect any foul play. [Note: Nucor Decatur is a VPP Participant.]
Truck driver killed after striking parked semi-trailers near Obetz
FRANKLIN COUNTY, OH (WCMH) — Deputies are investigating after a truck driver died after striking several parked semi-trailers near Obetz. According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, at about 5am, Friday, a semi-truck was traveling westbound on the lot of 2750 Creekside Parkway in Obetz and Hamilton Township, when it struck four other semi-trailers that were parked. The driver of the truck, David M. Peckham, 64, of Lorain,Ohio, was taken to Grant Medical Center and was later pronounced dead.
2 workers die when crane topples on dock in Southeast Texas
1 construction worker killed, another critically hurt in fall from Midtown building
New York, NY — One construction worker was killed and another critically injured when they fell from a bucket lift in Manhattan. It happened at 400 West 33rd Street at 9th Avenue around 3 p.m. on Thursday. Just after the two workers fell from a bucket lift, others scrambled to help. The two workers fell from a bucket lift which was about three stories off the ground. Police say one victim, a 45-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. That worker was an employee of EJ Electric. The second man, also 45 years old, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition.
Construction worker falls 29 floors to his death from Lower Manhattan building
Chunillo, a carpenter, had been working at that construction site for about a year and a half. “He was getting ready to leave, for the crane to bring them up, and what they told me is that the platform caved in so they could loosen it,” the victim’s cousin Angel Munoz said through an interpreter. “And when they got back inside, the cable for the crane was very tight, and as they tried to loosen it the cable hit him and knocked him down and he fell.”
Vineyard worker killed in trailer-loading accident near Lompoc
Lompoc, CA – An accident involving a vineyard worker in the 2300 block of Sweeney Road near Lompoc on Thursday left one man dead, Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said. The man was killed after becoming pinned while trying to load a trailer, Zaniboni added. Personnel from the Santa Barbara County and Lompoc fire departments, the California Highway Patrol and AMR responded to the scene about 11:45 a.m. “Apparently, this person was trying a load a forklift onto the trailer and something went wrong and he became trapped between the pickup truck and the trailer,” Zaniboni said. Firefighters had to extricate the man’s body from the wreckage, Zaniboni added. “During the process of a forklift being loaded onto the back of the trailer, the truck and trailer began to slide and became jackknifed,” said Kelly Hoover, Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman. The man, identified later Thursday as Adan Guerrero Villa, 60, of Lompoc, was fatally injured when he attempted to exit the vehicle and became trapped, she added.
Ballinger, TX — The City of Ballinger is mourning the loss of a longtime employee, Rickey Nombrano. Nombrano, part of the city’s street work crew, died about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday while operating heavy equipment, City Manager Bryan Grimes said in a phone interview Thursday. The death was not from natural causes and has hit Nombrano’s co-workers hard, Grimes confirmed. He declined to discuss specifics. “Something like has never happened in Ballinger before,” he said. “We’re still processing it and trying to deal with it.” (More on Nombrano’s death and public employee health and safety here.)
Utility worker dies in fall while restoring power after Hurricane Irma
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A utility employee working to restore power in South Florida after Hurricane Irma battered the state died early Sunday after he fell from the fifth floor of a parking garage, according to police. Scott Christopher Reid Jr., 26, fell from the garage at the Westin Hotel in Fort Lauderdale around 5:25 a.m. Sunday, WTVJ reported. He worked for T&D Solutions, a utility services company, according to the Highlands News-Sun.
Worker killed at North Carolina turkey processing plant
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina say a worker has been killed at a turkey processing plant. The N.C. Department of Labor told area media outlets that a preliminary investigation shows 28-year-old Robert McCullen was replacing a light above a dropped ceiling at the Butterball plant in Mount Olive on Tuesday when he was electrocuted. The company says co-workers immediately performed CPR on McCullen as emergency crews responded to the plant. McCullen had worked at the plant since 2010. Plant officials said he was part of the maintenance crew.
Officials Say New Boston Explosion Caused by Propane, Appears Accidental
NEW BOSTON, NH — A building explosion that left one painter dead was caused by propane gas and appears to have been an accident, officials said. The N.H. State Fire Marshal J. William Degnan, along with New Boston Fire Chief Dan MacDonald and New Boston Police Chief James Brace, announced that the explosion on Tuesday was caused by propane gas that originated from within the house, contrary to earlier reports that a propane tank had exploded. Officials said the house was under construction at the time and that cause of the explosion appears to have been accidental. A painter, Antonio De Souza, 46, of Nashua, died as a result of the injuries he sustained during the explosion and subsequent fire. An autopsy for De Souza is scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m. at Concord Hospital. The NH Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (NH COSH) offered their sympthy to De Souza’s loved ones. “Our thoughts are with Antonio’s family and friends at this terrible time,” said Brian Mitchell, Director of NH COSH, “Workers who are killed on the job and don’t come home at the end of their shift deserve a full investigation so that their loss is not in vain and the lives of future workers can be saved by proper safety precautions.”
Truck driver killed after interstate crash in Pearl
PEARL, Miss. — One man is dead after an 18-wheeler crashed into the back of a work truck Wednesday morning. The 18-wheeler rear-ended a truck that had been contracted by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Workers were laying reflective strips on the interstate. The accident happened on Interstate 20 West in Pearl at the Airport Road exit around 3 a.m. “It sounded like a cannon going off,” witness Eric Davis said. “I thought (the semi-truck) was going to hit me, it was that close. Then he bounced back across the interstate, upside down. I pulled over, jumped out and went to assist. Authorities said the driver of the 18-wheeler, Joseph Lee, 65, died.
OSHA Investigating Bay Minette Workplace Death
BAY MINETTE, Ala. (WKRG) — 45-year-old Moshen Kiani was working under a car Tuesday night, a forklift being used to elevate the vehicle. Investigators say something happened to make the car shift and as Kiani ran from under the car, he was hit in the head.
Worker fixing cable line in Feather Sound after Hurricane Irma dies after fall from ladder
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A 53-year-old worker repairing a cable line in the Feather Sound area on Saturday fell from his ladder and died, the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s Office said. It is the first death attributed to Hurricane Irma in Pinellas County, said director of forensic investigations Bill Pellan. Kelly Sandridge of St. Petersburg worked for Knight Enterprises, a contractor for the cable company Spectrum. He had climbed about 20 feet up on a ladder and was repairing a line at 14133 Crane Ter. when he fell.
Tollway worker killed on I-294 ID’d as married father of two
ALSIP, Ill. — The Illinois Tollway worker struck and killed by a truck on southbound Interstate 294 Monday has been identified. David Schwarz, 48, and another worker were clearing away debris when Schwarz was hit by a semi-truck. The truck also hit the workers’ vehicle before it kept going. Schwarz served as an equipment operator laborer since beginning his career at the tollway in March 1992. He was married and had two children.
Employee killed in Kansas City cellphone store robbery
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas City cellphone store employee was killed when he rushed to the aid of a co-worker. Kansas City Police Sgt. Kari Thompson says the victim was leaving a Boost Mobile store after his shift ended Monday afternoon when he noticed that his female co-worker was exchanging words with a suspected robber. The Kansas City Star reports that the victim went back into the store and was shot in the ensuing struggle. His name wasn’t immediately released.
One dead in work-related accident, Siloam Springs Police report
Siloam Springs, AR — The identity of the man killed in a Siloam Springs work-related accident Tuesday afternoon was released Wednesday. The man was Aaron Newman, 27, originally from Granite City, Illinois. Newman was living and working in Siloam Springs, according to a press release.
Worker dies in lawn mower rollover at Sheldon Country Club
Body of marijuana shop worker, abducted in Cheney, is found
SPOKANE. WA — Police say the body of a Cheney marijuana shop employee was found days after he was kidnapped outside of work. The Spokesman-Review reports that Spokane County Rescue found Cameron Smith’s body Friday afternoon off state Route 904 near Four Lakes. Police say his body was concealed in “heavy cover” several feet from the road. Authorities say the 46-year-old worker was abducted from the parking lot of Lucid Marijuana in Cheney on Sept. 10 as he was eating lunch in his car. Police say 36-year-old Donovan Culps and his niece, Violetta Culps, kidnapped Smith when they were refused service inside the store because they didn’t have identification.