Not a good week to be a worker in Indiana (California and Florida weren’t so hot either.)
Construction worker killed in accident near Willmar
Holland Township, MN — A man tiling a field in central Minnesota died on Friday morning in a workplace accident. The construction company employee was installing drainage tile in the field near 60th Street SW and 150th Avenue SW in Holland Township when the accident was reported just before noon. The 31 year old was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. It’s believed he may have been pinned between some heavy equipment. The man’s identity has not yet been release as his family is still being informed.
Truck driver killed in crash on WB I-96 near Milford Road; freeway reopened
Milford, MI — One person was killed Thursday morning in a crash involving two trucks on westbound I-96. Michigan State Police say the accident happened just before 6 a.m. near Milford Road. The driver of a semi truck had engine problems, and pulled over to the shoulder as much as possible. We’re told the driver of a large box truck crashed into the end of the semi truck. MSP says the male driver of the box truck was killed instantly in the crash. Authorities didn’t give his name yet. The driver in the semi truck wasn’t hurt.
2 workers electrocuted, third critically injured in Moab industrial accident
SAN JUAN County, Utah — Two men were killed and a third critically injured in an industrial accident at the Intrepid Potash Mine in Moab early Saturday afternoon. According to a statement by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, the accident happened when industrial equipment the men were operating came in contact with a power line. “Russell Helquist and Matthew Johnston died at the scene while the 3rd victim, Arthur Secrest, was found unconscious but breathing,” the sheriff’s office statement said.
Truck driver killed in crash on 15 Freeway in Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass, CA — One person was killed Thursday morning in a crash involving a semi-truck on the southbound I-15 Freeway. The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office identified the man killed in a tractor-trailer crash as Gabriel Edwardo Torres, 40, of Hesperia. The California Highway Patrol incident logs indicated the accident happened just before 11:20 a.m. in the escape ramp and involved a tractor pulling double trailers loaded with rock and gravel. Emergency personnel arrived on scene, and despite life-saving measures, the adult male driver of the truck was pronounced deceased.
KYTC Employee Killed In Wolfe County Crash
WOLFE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18)– A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet employee was killed in a crash Thursday. The crash happened around 1 p.m. on Thursday on Ky 205 near the junction of Ky 191. An initial investigation by the Kentucky State Police indicates John Fugate, 48, was killed when a vehicle driven by Jamie Fallen crossed the centerline on KY 205 and struck Fugate’s truck head-on.
SC school crossing guard dies 8 days after being struck by car
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Authorities say a 73-year-old crossing guard has died eight days after being struck by a car while directing traffic outside a South Carolina elementary school. Investigators say they still haven’t found the car or the driver who hit Emma Taylor on Tuesday of last week outside a Spartanburg County elementary school. Coroner Rusty Clevenger said Taylor died Wednesday evening at a hospital.
St. Pete sanitation director, a 48-year employee, dies in crash
Worker dies after falling at business in Plymouth
PLYMOUTH, Ind. — An employee of a roofing company fell to his death at a business where he was doing work on Thursday. The Marshall County Coroner said 46-year-old Oscar Gallardo Zarate, of Muncie, was working for 5 Star Commercial Roofing at American Containers in Plymouth when he fell approximately 25 feet. Emergency crews responded quickly, but Zarate died of his injuries. The president of American Containers said they are distressed and disturbed by what happened.
Guard, officer killed in the nation’s latest mass shooting
Thousand Oaks, CA — The gunman began his rampage by shooting an unarmed security guard outside a country-music bar in California, police said. After the attacker began firing on patrons inside, a sergeant with the sheriff’s office charged into the building to confront him and was cut down by gunfire. In addition to the death of veteran Sgt. Ron Helus of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, four police officers were shot while responding to a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Oct. 27.
Jordan, I signed up for this newsletter in the hopes that it would help me learn to be a better safety engineer. But the litany of horrific accidents is instead making me think of cutting my wrists. When I see your e-mail show up I think to myself, “Holy Crap, here we go again” – I honestly don’t know how to react – I mean, where do we go with these learnings?
I actually try to distill the traces of Risk Analysis into Risk CONTROL actionable intelligence but it’s a cross between squeezing jelly and playing Whack-A-Mole. The running log has also convinced me that OSHA, or for that matter any agency of government, is not going to change this procession of grief. There has to be some other influence – I’m thinking of how Michael Bloomberg went after health care costs by banning tobacco and sugar drinks in NYC. Does NIOSH or the CDC have any solutions in mind? It clearly will not be a legislative fix. My sincere thanks for your effort at educating us. I just need to work toward an outcome on all these learning episodes. I plan to use your website in a safety course I am teaching at VA Commonwealth University. The message is unmistakable and unfathomable at the same time.