Atlanta, GA — The Henry County officer who was shot in the face while responding to a call of a combative person at a dentist’s office has died. Officer Michael Smith was shot Dec. 8 in McDonough. He passed away Dec. 28 at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta after complications from injuries related to the shooting.

Mail carrier killed in wreck remembered for friendly presence

Wadsworth, OH – The longtime and beloved letter carrier who traversed the Wadsworth area with dog treats in his truck did so because he had just as many canine friends on his route as residents waiting for the day’s mail.Dave Irwin said his older brother, Randy Irwin, 59, of Macedonia, would even hop out of his truck to greet his furry friends with a treat if they were not waiting nearby. He knew many residents by name. Their dogs, too. Randy Irwin, a more than 28-year veteran of the U.S. Postal Service who worked out of the Wadsworth post office, was killed Wednesday afternoon when a minivan hit his mail truck on state Route 94. He was pulling back into traffic about 4 p.m. when his truck was struck from the rear by a 2016 Dodge Caravan driven by Danielle M. Ullman on Route 94 north of Eastern Road, according to a news release from the Ohio Highway Patrol. The truck overturned and Irwin, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected.

OSHA investigating fatal accident at Fluvitex

GROVEPORT, Ohio (WCMH) – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating a fatal industrial accident that resulted in the death of one employee on Wednesday at Fluvitex in Groveport. OSHA officials said the investigation into the incident has just begun and declined to provide details about the victim or the accident. NBC4 crews are working to get more information from Fluvitex, which is located at 6510 Pontius Road. Fluvitex is a state-of-the-art textiles manufacturer and core IKEA supplier.

OSHA Inquiry Into Ortiz Death May Take Six Months;

Haverhill, MA — The federally-mandated investigation into the workplace death of Haverhill roofer Carlos Ortiz may take up to six months to complete, a spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration tells WHAV. Employed by River Street’s Progressive Roofing at the time of his death, Ortiz was working at 98 Essex St., on a roof nine stories up when he fell though what is believed to be an elevator shaft on Dec. 18. As WHAV previously reported, the job site was immediately shut down by Haverhill’s Director of Health and Inspectional Services Richard MacDonald after police were called to the scene at 10:20 a.m., but contractors have since resumed work at the location of Ortiz’s death.

Young firefighter dies in Christmas morning crash while responding to call

MIZPAH, N.J. — A young volunteer firefighter from New Jersey was killed Christmas morning when her car crashed into a guardrail as she responded to an emergency call. Natalie Dempsey, 21, worked for the Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company 18-2 and was the vice president of the organization. The company announced her death on its Facebook page at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Piggly Wiggly shooting marks Birmingham’s 99th homicide in 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A shooting at the Piggly Wiggly on 29th Avenue North left a female employee dead Monday, and put the number of homicides in Birmingham for 2018 close to triple digits for another year. Birmingham Police say a suspect entered the store just before noon and began an altercation with the employee, identified as Jerika Manuel, 28, of Birmingham. Police believe the suspect and Manuel had on ongoing feud of some kind.

Longshoreman killed in Port of Tacoma while directing traffic

Tacoma, WA — A longshoreman died Friday after being run over by one of the semi-trucks he was directing traffic for on a ship at the Port of Tacoma, officials said.  ILWU Local Union 23 member Craig Wheeler can be identified as this accident’s victim. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident, which took place about 9 p.m. Friday in the 500 block of Alexander Avenue East. The longshoreman was directing traffic on the North Star, where several semi-trailers were being off-loaded.

Keota man dies from injuries after accident at Kalona Tire

KEOTA, Iowa (KCRG) –A Keota man has died from injuries received in a workplace accident that happened December 13. Washington County officials say the accident happened around noon at Kalona Tire when a tire blew up. 27-year-old Cameron White was injured and emergency crews took him to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He died Tuesday.

Westerly DPW mechanic killed in accident at town garage

WESTERLY, RI — The chief mechanic for Westerly’s Department of Public Works, described as a happy, well-liked man, was fatally injured Wednesday afternoon while bending to look under a truck that he had just decided to pull from service for a brake problem. Angelo Turano, 53, was knocked down and partially run over by a rear wheel of the 40-foot trailer, which crushed his shoulder and chest.  The truck, used for hauling trash from the transfer station to the state landfill in Johnston, pulled in from the entrance closest to Route 91, drove behind the garage and pulled up alongside the buildingd. The driver, Scott A. Wells, parked the rig and walked around to the passenger side to tell Turano about a problem with the tractor-trailer’s air brakes. They agreed that Wells would park the truck elsewhere to await repairs, and Wells walked back to the driver’s side and climbed into the cab. Turano and another DPW worker, Robert Pelchat, on the passenger side of the trailer, were not visible to Wells, who didn’t see that Turano had bent under the trailer to look at the brakes. Wells pulled forward, moving only about two feet, before Pelchat yelled for him to stop. One of the trailer’s rear tires knocked Turano onto his back and rolled over his left shoulder and chest.

Pa. firefighter, 53, dies responding to structure fire

Coal Township, PA — The News-Item reported Scott Dannheimer died after suffering a medical emergency at a fire scene in Northumberland County on Thursday afternoon. It also said he was a captain with the East End Fire Company, which is a part of the Coal Township Fire Department.\

Police identify man killed in industrial accident

JENNER TWP, Pa. (WJAC) — One person has died in an industrial accident in Jenner Township, according to Somerset County officials. According to a 911 supervisor, the incident happened at AK Coal on Hoffman Church Road in Friedens just after 3 a.m. The accident occurred when 35-year-old Nevin Hostetter from Central City, was operating a mobile bridge conveyor, police said. Hostetter was pronounced dead on scene.

Neighbors shocked after employee killed in attempted armed robbery on Oakwood Avenue

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — 86-year-old Clara Hill was asleep in her home when she was startled awake. “I heard bullets and I got up and went to the living room window and I saw somebody laying over there right there,” Hill said. Hill is stunned after learning an employee was killed at Eddie’s Eagle Market just across from the street from here. Police say he and the employee ended up in a fight, which spilled out onto the sidewalk before the shooting. A second young man approached the victim, and shot him in the back, investigators said. 41-year-old Asim Musa was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Man injured in gas plant blast dies

Chartiers Township, PA — A West Virginia man who was burned in a Washington County gas plant explosion has died, officials confirmed. Jeffrey Fisher, 61, of Salem, W. Va. died Tuesday afternoon at UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh. Fisher was a burn victim at the hospital, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, which did not release a cause of death. Three others were injured, but the company did not release any further details on their conditions. The blast happened December 13 at MarkWest’s Houston Processing and Fractionation Facility in Chartiers Township. Officials from the company had said that the incident occurred near a pair of temporary storage tanks. Jeff Yates, Washington County’s public safety director, said it is believed the workers were cleaning a pipeline when vapors caught fire and ignited other combustible materials. Two victims were flown to Mercy and two to West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Worker killed at Baltimore wastewater treatment plant

Baltimore, MD — A worker at the City of Baltimore’s Back River Wastewater Treatment plant died Monday after being struck by an excavator, according to Baltimore County fire officials. The worker, Transito Rodriguez Cruz, 36, of Adelphi, was working in a trench on a construction project at the treatment plant around noon Monday when he was struck by the bucket of an excavator, fire officials said. He was taken to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The incident is under investigation by both the Baltimore Environmental Police and the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Raymond said Cruz was working for Archer Western, a company contracted by the city when he was killed;  Three other Archer Western workers have been killed on the job in Florida this year.  Two men died in February working in a trench on Interstate 95 in Miami, where a concrete barrier fell on them. Another worker died after falling from a bridge that was under construction in Jacksonville, Fla., in October.

Worker Killed In Construction Site Fall in Bel Air Identified

Bel Air, CA — Authorities Thursday identified a worker who died in a fall at a residential construction site in the Bel Air area. Paramedics were sent to the 2300 block of North Donatella Circle about 11:45 a.m. Monday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Guarchaj Y Guarchaj, 23, died at the scene, according to the coroner’s office. His hometown was not known. Guarchaj died of blunt force injuries he suffered in a fall from a roof, and his death was classified as an accident, the coroner’s office reported.

Gas station employee fatally shot in robbery at NJ gas station

EDISON, N.J. — A gas station employee was shot and killed during a robbery in New Jersey early Thursday, officials said. It happened at the Speedway Gas Station in Edison at about 4 a.m. Authorities said a man entered the gas station and held up the employee, John Bertram, with a handgun. The clerk removed money from the register to the suspected robber, who then opened fire, shooting Bertram. Bertram, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Septic Truck Driver Killed In State Road 520 Crash

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —The driver of a septic truck was killed on State Road 520 in Orange County on Tuesday morning after crashing into a Camaro, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The fatal crash happened at around 6:20 a.m. when the driver of the septic truck, 25-year-old Robert Ratliff, was going eastbound on State Road 520. The truck left the road and hit the back of a Camaro that was parked on the south shoulder of the road, according Lt. Kim Montes in a preliminary report. The man inside the Camaro was reportedly asleep in the backseat of the vehicle. After hitting the back of the Camero, the truck rolled over and the driver was thrown from the vehicle. He was declared dead at the scene.

Deadly accident Monday evening at Purina Mills facility

LUBBOCK, Texas – Lubbock Police were called to Purina Mills in the 200 block of East Harvard Street Monday evening. Police said one person died in an industrial accident.  The victim was crushed by equipment. On Tuesday morning Purina issued the following statement: “A fatality occurred last evening at the Purina Animal Nutrition Plant, located at 212 E. Harvard Street in Lubbock, Texas. Human safety and welfare is our top priority and we will fully cooperate in an investigation into what occurred.”

South Beach construction worker dies after torso impalement, fire-rescue says

Miami, FL — A construction worker was killed Monday after he fell one story onto rebar that punctured his torso, Miami Beach Fire Rescue said. The accident occurred around 9 a.m. at 2000 Washington Ave. The 35-year-old man, whose name hasn’t been released, was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, but died early Monday afternoon, Miami Beach Fire Rescue said. Miami Beach police and the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be investigating. Several Florida roofers have been cited recently as part of OSHA’s Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction.

Man killed in conveyor belt accident at Albany recycling plant

ALBANY, NY – Investigators believe that a worker at a South Pearl Street recycling plant was killed trying to remove a piece of plastic that got stuck on a conveyor belt. On Thursday night, Dec. 13, Hendrik J. Werkman, 67, was pronounced dead at Sierra Processing, which handles recycling for the city, police said. Waste Connections, a publicly traded waste management company, owns the plant.

Two Chicago police officers killed after being struck by train while responding to call

CHICAGO, IL. — Two police officers were struck by a train Monday evening, Chicago police have confirmed. Both police officers have died, the Fraternal Order of Police says.  The officers were responding to a call of ‘shots fired’ when they were struck. The officers chased a suspect up to the train tracks at 103rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, where they were struck by the eastbound train. The officers were identified as Eduardo Marmolejo, 36, and Conrad Gary, 31. Marmolejo was on the force for 2 1/2 years and Gary was had been an officer for 18 months. Both were fathers.

Employee Crushed by Bus

Seattle, WA — One employee, Cory McCarty was killed and one employee taken to Harborview hospital when the Charter Bus they were working on at Les Schwab Tire Centers dropped onto them while they were changing the tires. [Source: Washington Department of Labor and Industries]