Last week workers were electrocuted, killed in a trench collapse, died in falls, crushed by machinery, shot and a bunch of truckers were killed on the road. On average, over 100 workers are killed every week in the United States due to traumatic injuries suffered at work. More than 20 times as many die from occupational diseases, many due to exposure to hazardous substances many years before they died. The few narratives below (gathered from almost 100 Google News searches) do not come close to capturing the full toll that work takes on the working people of this country. Nevertheless the accounts below gave you a taste of the preventable carnage occurring in workplaces across the country every day.
Trench collapse kills Sublette County man
PINEDALE, Wyo. — A Sublette County man was killed Friday after the wall of a trench he was working in collapsed and buried him. According to a press release from Sublette County Sheriff’s Office, first responders were dispatched to the home of 63-year-old Gale Roberts in Boulder, Wyoming, just after 10 a.m. on June 9. First responders used a backhoe and shovels to free Roberts but by the time they could reach vitals, he had no pulse and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Roberts and another person had used a backhoe to dig a 25-foot long and eight to 10-foot deep ditch to install a French drain to keep water that was seeping from a nearby ditch into his crawl space. A large slab of earth from one of the trench walls collapsed.
Name of Marion County contractor killed Wednesday after touching live power line released
Bussey, Iowa — A contractor in Marion County died Wednesday morning after touching a live power line. Jorge Sanchez, 35, was pouring concrete west of Bussey near the Twin Cedars Elementary School when he touched a live power line, said Emily Feagins, Public Information Officer for Marion County. No children witnessed the incident, she said. First responders got a call to dispatch at approximately 8:10 a.m. They performed CPR, but efforts were unsuccessful. Feagins said that officials are reviewing footage for their investigation.
Carpenter dies of injuries sustained while working at Lambeau Field in Green Bay
GREEN BAY, WI – The construction worker injured while working at Lambeau Field on Thursday has died, his employer said Monday. 27-year-old Joshua Shaw of Clintonville, who worked as a carpenter for Green Bay-based Mavid Construction, died Saturday, owner Zoar Fulwilder said in a statement. He was a second-generation Mavid employee who was an organ donor. The man “worked alongside his father and brother at Mavid Construction. As a family-owned company, this loss has truly impacted us all,” Fulwilder said. “Our main concern is for the well-being of our employee’s family, our team members who were on the project site, and our entire team who worked with this employee. His decision to be an organ donor will save many lives.”
Savannah Sugar Refinery releases statement regarding recent death incident
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – The Savannah Sugar Refinery released a statement regarding a death incident. According to the Chatham County Coroner’s Office, a 61-year-old male died on Friday morning. The cause of the death is still under investigation and it’s being investigated as an accident. A man was working in a silo when a high pressure water blaster exploded. The Chatham County Police Department says the department responded to an “industrial accident” at the refinery last week.
Amazon Worker Shot and Killed While Driving Delivery Truck in California
Lathrop, CA — Police are investigating the shooting death of a 32-year-old North Carolina man who was killed in California while driving an empty Amazon semitrailer on Thursday afternoon. The name of the victim has not yet been released, but Amazon confirmed the worker’s death in a statement to local media. “We’re very sorry to hear about his passing and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time,” offers the statement. Authorities quickly determined the big rig ran off the road near Interstate 5 in Lathrop after the driver was shot. After leaving the interstate, the truck struck two unoccupied vehicles before slamming into a nearby business. They found the still-breathing driver behind the wheel, and he was rushed to the hospital, where he died.
OSHA probes fatal workplace fall in Blairsville
Blairsville, PA — Workplace inspectors launched an investigation Thursday into the accident that killed a man who fell through three stories of a dilapidated former Blairsville school on Wednesday, a federal official said. John W. Plunkett, 63, of Colfax, N.C., who died in the fall, was working with Ryan Nupp, 27, of Latrobe on the roof when it collapsed about 12:45 p.m., dropping them to the basement. Plunkett was trapped in the debris and had to be extricated by Blairsville firefighters and other emergency responders, Sacco said. Plunkett died Wednesday of blunt force injuries at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
32-year-old dies after he’s pinned while working on dump truck in SC
Belton, SC — A 32-year-old man died after he was pinned beneath a dump truck in South Carolina, officials said. The man was doing a mechanical repair outside a business before workers found him “underneath a large commercial vehicle,” according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. He was later pronounced dead at the scene in Belton, roughly 25 miles south of downtown Greenville, officials said. What happens when you call 911? Use these tips for better emergency response Do you know what to do if you accidentally dial 911? Do you know what information is crucial in an emergency? Here’s what you need to know in North Texas to get the police, fire or ambulance service you need fast. BY MARK HOFFER The man was identified in a June 14 news release as Richard W. Heald III. The coroner’s office didn’t say where he lived or the company he worked for but told McClatchy News his death was considered work-related.
Identity of construction worker killed in workplace accident on San Antonio’s West Side released by Bexar County Medical Examiner
SAN ANTONIO TX — The Bexar County Medical Examiner has released the name of the man killed in a workplace mishap on San Antonio’s West side earlier this week. Shawn Jimmy Pedregon was working to install a manhole in the 5100 block of Rogers Road Tuesday. He fell nearly 15 feet and became trapped after the sides of the hole collapsed. The Medical Examiner says he died of traumatic injuries and his death has been ruled an accident. Pedregon was 51 years old.
Horry County man dies when machine falls in Darlington County mill
DARLINGTON, S.C. — A worker from Horry County died Monday morning when a machine collapsed and fell on him. Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee identified the man as Michael Thomas Hinnant. He was 30. The death occurred around 7:30 a.m., Hardee said, and Hinnant was pronounced dead at the scene. The death is under investigation by the Darlington County Coroner’s Office. Hardee has sought the assistance of the South Carolina Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (M.A.I.T). This team is assembled by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also assisting in the investigation at the request of the coroner.
Michigan man killed in crash involving 2 semis on I-69 in Delaware County
DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. — One person was killed another another was injured in a crash involving two semis on Interstate 69 in Delaware County Saturday evening. Around 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, first responders were called to the crash along I-69 northbound near the rest park north of State Road 28. ISP troopers found a semi tractor-trailer had rear-ended another semi tractor-trailer stopped in traffic. The driver of the striking semi, identified as 65-year-old Darrell Charles Kositzke, of Michigan, was trapped in the crash and pronounced dead at the scene by the Delaware County coroner, ISP said. The driver of the other semi, a 58-year-old Michigan man, was transported to IU Ball Memorial Hospital with minor injures. A preliminary investigation leads state police to believe the semi driven by the 58-year-old man slowed and stopped due to a construction backup before Kositzke’s semi crashed into the back of it. State police said it is believed Kositzke was distracted at the time of the crash.
Semi truck driver killed in accident in Graves County, KY
GRAVES COUNTY, KY — A semi driver has been killed after an accident in Graves County Saturday morning, according to a news release by the Graves County Sheriff’s Department. Sergeant Richard Edwards responded to the area of KY 97 and Burnetts Chapel Road in Sedalia for a semi accident around 8:50 a.m. Saturday. The semi and trailer were fully engulfed in flames when Sergeant Edwards arrived on scene. The driver was still inside. Sergeant Edwards and other witnesses tried to help, but the flames were too intense. Sedalia Fire was able to put out the blaze, but the driver was unable to be saved, the release says.
Officials identify Pennsylvania State Police trooper killed in officer-involved shooting
MIFFLINTOWN, Pennsylvania — Officials have identified the people involved in a shooting that left one Pennsylvania State Police trooper dead and another seriously hurt on Saturday. State police say 29-year-old Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr. was shot and killed during the incident in Juniata County. Lieutenant James Wagner, 45, was seriously injured in the shooting. Wagner is currently listed in critical condition at an area hospital. The incident began when officials say a man engaged with state troopers just after 11 a.m. According to state police, the man arrived at Troop G, Lewistown station armed with a rifle and fired shots at patrol vehicles in the parking lot.
Security guard shot to death in attempted robbery at game room in NW Harris County, deputies say
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A security guard was shot and killed outside of a game room in northwest Harris County, deputies said. The deadly shooting happened just after midnight in the 5000 block of FM 1960 near Wunderlich. Deputies said a man walked inside the business and tried to rob it. The security guard confronted him, and it escalated into a struggle before being shot multiple times. The suspect got away in a dark-colored car. Deputies believe a second person was waiting in the car.
Tanker truck driver killed in rollover crash on SR 51 in central Phoenix
PHOENIX, AZ — A tanker truck driver is dead after the truck rolled off state Route 51 in central Phoenix on Friday morning. Department of Public Safety troopers tell Arizona’s Family the driver was heading south around 9:15 a.m. near Northern Avenue when, for some reason, the driver rolled the truck. The person was thrown out of the vehicle and died. The tanker truck ended up just off of the offramp. Aerial video showed extensive damage to the vehicle. Details are limited at this point, but the southbound lanes of the freeway in the area were closed for a short time. The Northern Avenue offramp was shut down for hours but has since reopened. No other information was immediately released.
East Texas man killed in semi rollover crash
PANOLA COUNTY, Texas — One person is dead following a Tuesday night crash in Panola County. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, around 10:50 p.m., troopers responded to a crash on FM 2517, about eight miles northwest of Carthage. The preliminary investigation indicates a semi, driven by Joshua Parker, 37, of Carthage, was traveling westbound on FM 2517, when he drove off the roadway and rolled over in ditch.
Wintergreen police officer shot and killed during confrontation
WINTERGREEN, VA — A Wintergreen police officer was shot and killed Friday night after responding to an emergency call about an assault in Wintergreen Resort, per a press release from Virginia State Police. Three other people, including the suspect in the shooting, were injured in the incident. Shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, a call came into the Wintergreen Police Department that an adult male had assaulted two other adult males at a residence on Arrowood Lane, the release said. After calling police, the two injured males fled the residence on foot. Police said that both are being treated at UVA Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries. Virginia State Police, investigating the incident at the request of the Wintergreen Police Department, said that it appears the first Wintergreen Police Officer to arrive at the residence located the adult male suspect in the nearby woods and a struggle ensued. During the confrontation, the officer was shot and died at the scene, per police. Thirty-one year old Mark Christopher Wagner II of Stuarts Draft was the officer killed
Truck driver dies after being run over by own semi at loading dock in California
Oakdale, CA — Authorities are investigating a fatal workplace accident that occurred in Oakdale, California, early Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. on June 14 at the ConAgra Foods facility in Oakdale, according to The Modesto Bee. Ismael Carrillo-Garcia, 27, had reportedly delivered a load of empty cans to the plant and was inside his trailer moving pallets to help a forklift driver more easily retrieve them. It was then that the forklift driver noticed that the truck was rolling forward and called out to let Carrillo-Garcia know. Carrillo-Garcia exited the trailer and ran to stop the rolling truck. However, he reportedly tripped and fell and was run over by the moving truck. Carrillo-Garcia died at the scene.
Truck driver killed in US 90 wreck trying to avoid car
Gonzales County, TX — A fatal accident on Thursday, June 8 claimed the life of a tractor-trailer driver who it appears may have tried to minimize the collision he had with a vehicle near the intersection of US 90 and FM 304 in Gonzales County. According to a Texas Department of Public Safety report summary, a Nissan passenger vehicle was southbound on FM 304 at 5:55 a.m. approaching US 90 while the tractor-trailer was eastbound on US 90 and approaching the same intersection. The intersection has a stop sign for those traveling on FM 304, while traffic on US 90 does not stop. The Nissan failed to yield the right of way at the stop sign, and pulled into the path of the semi, which tried to avoid the car but ultimately struck the right front quarter panel of the Nissan. The Nissan spun counter-clockwise and came to rest upright on the unimproved shoulder at the intersection’s northeast corner. The tractor-trailer rolled to the right and became detached and the truck-tractor came to rest upright on the unimproved shoulder on the north side of US 90, while the trailer came to rest in the middle of US 90 on its right side. The driver of the rig, who was later identified as Allen Groff, 67, of Seguin, was declared dead at the scene while three passengers in the Nissan were transported by ground and air ambulance to Seton Hays Hospital.
Construction worker dies when gymnasium roof collapses at high school in Texas
Friendswood, Texas — One construction worker died and three others were injured when the roof of a high school gymnasium collapsed in Friendswood, Texas. KPRC-TV reports that the collapse at Friendswood High School happened around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boys’ gymnasium. The worker killed has been identified as Moises Alejandro Morales, 26, KTRK-TV reports. Preliminary information suggests he was hit by debris and died of blunt head trauma. Three injured workers were transported to an area hospital with minor injuries and are expected to recover.
Worker killed by skid-steer at Brockton construction site
BROCKTON, Mass. (WPRI) — An investigation is underway after a man was killed while working at the former Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Monday, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz. Cruz said first responders rushed to the construction site following reports of a worker trapped underneath a Bobcat skid-steer loader. The worker, identified by Cruz as 63-year-old Roger Porter, was found inside an 8-foot-deep foundation trench with the skid-skeer loader on top of him. Cruz said Porter and another worker were in the process of leveling out gravel in the trench when the incident happened. Porter, who worked for Stoughton-based LMA Services, was pronounced dead at the scene, and it took first responders several hours to remove him from the trench.
Driver killed in I-95 collapse ID’d as Nathan Moody, a Pennsauken trucking company worker
Philadelphia, PA — Nathan Moody was an Army veteran and a proud father. The Philadelphia-area man died Sunday when the tanker truck he was driving went out of control and crashed on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office publicly identified Moody Tuesday night following an autopsy. The medical examiner also ruled Moody’s death an accident. The medical examiner attributed Moody’s death to “blunt trauma of the head, inhalation and thermal injuries.” The driver’s remains, found in the truck wreckage, were identified through dental records.
Georgia truck driver killed in semi crash on I-75
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A 55-year-old man from Fitzgerald, GA, was killed last night and his 10-year-old female passenger suffered minor injuries in a crash between two tractor-trailers on I-75 in Alachua County. At about 2:36 a.m., a semi driven by a 34-year-old Miami Gardens man was traveling at a slower rate of speed in the right lane of the interstate, just south of the rest area at mile marker 379, when the semi driven by the Georgia man hit it from the rear. The Miami Gardens man was not injured in the crash. Alachua County Fire Rescue, Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR), and the Micanopy Fire Department responded to the crash, extricated the Georgia man, and transported him to a local trauma center. His passenger was able to get out of the truck on her own and was also transported to the hospital. GFR’s HazMat team responded to assist with a large diesel spill.