Last week workers were killed in explosions, trench collapse, electrocution, vehicle accidents, shootings, crushed by machinery and stomped by a bull. 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.
Suspect caught after officer hit, killed by semi-truck near Santaquin
SANTAQUIN, Utah — A semi-truck driver suspected of hitting and killing a Santaquin police officer, Sgt. Bill Hooser, on Interstate 15 early Sunday has been apprehended after fleeing over 150 miles away. Around 6 a.m., Utah Highway Patrol received a call reporting someone standing on the back of a semitrailer traveling north. A Santaquin police officer and UHP trooper located the truck 30 minutes later and performed a traffic stop on I-15 near mile marker 244. During the traffic stop, the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Michael Aaron Jayne, fled the scene in the truck and headed northbound before turning around and driving the wrong way. The truck hit the Santaquin officer, his car and the trooper’s vehicle. The police officer was declared dead at the scene after being struck, while Jayne fled the area on foot.
Woman Dies After Being Trapped Under Lawn Mower In Harford County Ravine
Fallston, MD — Late on Thursday afternoon, crews from the Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company and Harford County Department of Emergency Services paramedics responded to the 2300 block of Willow Vale Drive, where there were reports of a woman who was unconscious and not breathing. Officials say that the woman was extricated rom a nearly eight-foot ravine, and despite life-saving efforts, she was pronounced dead approximately 20 minutes after paramedics arrived. The incident remains under investigation by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland Occupational Safety and Health investigators, and the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
1 dead, 4 injured in N.J. business explosion
OLD BRIDGE, N.J. — Police are investigating an explosion in Old Bridge, New Jersey, that left a 73-year-old woman dead, Eileen R. Marko, of South River. and four other people injured on Wednesday. The blast occurred around 11:30 a.m. at the Superior Signal Company on West Greystone Road and led to a hazardous materials response from several nearby towns, ABC7NY reported. Authorities said the explosion and subsequent fire resulted from a chemical reaction in one of the company’s buildings. Superior Signal manufacturers smoke generators and other ultrasonic instruments for leak detection, according to the company website. Among the injured were a 57-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man who both suffered significant burns. They were transported to nearby Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. First responders also treated a 65-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man for smoke inhalation and minor burns. They were later transported from the scene by ambulance. Authorities have not yet identified any of the victims, but all five were reportedly employees of Superior Signal.
Worker killed in Lebanon County electrocution
CORNWALL, Pa. — A worker was killed Wednesday afternoon after being electrocuted in Lebanon County. It happened on the 500 block of Hemlock Lane in Cornwall Borough around 2 p.m. A Met-Ed representative told WGAL that the victim was a communication contractor installing fiber optic cable on a pole that also carried Met-Ed wires. The person’s name was not released.
Man killed in industrial accident at Dodge Center manufacturing plant
DODGE CENTER, Minn. – A man was killed after being crushed by a 5,000 pound cement mixing drum. According to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to Con-Tech Manufacturing on State Highway 56 in Dodge Center at 10:10 a.m. on Monday with a report a man had been crushed. When deputies arrived, workers at the plant were performing CPR on the victim, identified as 63-year-old Teofilo Gonzalez. Workers told deputies Gonzalez was cutting a crossbeam support on a dolly that was supporting a 5,000 pound mixer drum. The dolly failed and the drum came down on Gonzales. Workers used forklifts to move the drum so they could begin CPR. Dodge Center Ambulance took over life-saving efforts, but were unable to revive Gonzalez. He was pronounced dead at 10:29 a.m. Dodge County Sheriff’s chaplains were called to support coworkers and rescuers on the scene, as well as notify the victim’s family. The Olmsted County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to assist in the investigation. Con-Tech told investigators they will contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, about the incident. Gonzalez was from Brownsdale and worked for Con-Tech for 10 years.
Man dies after being attacked by bull in Cherokee Co.
SMYRNA, S.C. (WSPA) – One of the men attacked by a bull Sunday evening in Cherokee County passed away Thursday morning. We previously reported that Brian Oliver and Mike Carroll were working in a cow pasture at DK’s Creek and Pasture along McGill Highway. Family members said a bull drug Oliver into a creek bed hole and began trampling him. That’s when Carroll stepped in, pulled out a knife, and started stabbing the bull to get it off of Oliver, firefighters said. The bull then turned its attention to Carroll and started attacking him but not before he could call for help. The fire department and EMS arrived at the scene and rendered aid to Oliver and Carroll, but due to the extent of their injuries, they decided to bring in two helicopters. Carroll was flown to Lancaster and Oliver was flown to Greenville. Oliver’s family said he is on life support in the ICU with broken ribs, two broken shoulders, and punctured lungs among other injuries. The Cherokee County Coroner’s Office said Oliver, 54, died early Thursday morning at Spartanburg Medical Center.
Man dies in explosion at Queens garage while working on vehicle: sources
JAMAICA, Queens (PIX11) – A man died in an explosion at a Queens garage early Thursday morning, sources told PIX11 News. A fire broke out at the garage on 89th Avenue in Jamaica around 1:58 a.m., according to the NYPD. A 47-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive with burns on his body, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It’s believed the man was working on his vehicle at the time of the explosion, according to sources. Four propane tanks were also found in the garage, sources said.
Man killed in scissor lift accident at Centennial Village construction site
Miami, FL — A man was killed after being fatally injured at the construction site of Centennial Village when the scissor lift he was standing on fell over on the morning of Saturday, April 27. First responders airlifted him to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Coastal Construction Group, the contractor for Centennial Village, released a statement on May 1, saying that an employee for JMJ Painting Contractor died in the accident. “Our hearts and prayers are with the person’s family,” the statement said. The identity of the victim has not been released.
Death of New Jersey state trooper during training incident prompts investigation
Ewing, NJ — Gov. Phil Murphy said an investigation into the death of State Trooper Marcellus E. Bethea is underway. State police officials say Bethea died Sunday during a training incident in Ewing at State Police Headquarters. He was training to become a member of the elite TEAMS Unit, according to state Attorney General Matthew Platkin. “State troopers, and other members of law enforcement, enter their profession knowing its risks but put themselves on the line because they believe in serving the residents of our state,” Platkin said in a statement.
Construction worker dies in Kenilworth, N.J. trench collapse
KENILWORTH, NJ — A construction worker died on Monday morning after falling into a trench in Kenilworth, said Det. Sgt. Brian Pickton. At 9:07 a.m., Kenilworth Police, Fire, EMS were called to a construction site at 351 Monroe Avenue near 12th Street for a man who fell into a trench and was trapped underneath construction debris, said Pickton. Authorities tried to rescue the man, however, their rescue attempts were not successful. First responders tried life saving measures but unfortunately the accident resulted in the worker being pronounced dead at the scene. Early reports indicate that the workers were trying to install a storm drain in the back of the business using an excavator, said police.
Georgia Little Caesars employee accused of murdering manager inside store
LEESBURG, Ga. — A Georgia Little Caesars store manager was shot multiple times and killed inside his store by one of his employees on Friday night, according to both the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and 11Alive’s NBC affiliate WALB in Albany, Georgia. The incident happened at one of the Leesburg, Georgia, stores in the southern part of the state, about 15 minutes away from Albany. The GBI and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested 28-year-old Daquan Harris of Lithona and charged him with felony murder and aggravated assault. Authorities said he gunned down 50-year-old Joseph Dorminey of Leesburg inside his restaurant located on U.S. 19 North in Lee County.
Employee killed during apparent armed robbery in Downtown Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles police found a man lying inside a Downtown Los Angeles business Friday morning after an apparent robbery. The robbery happened just before 8:40 a.m. in the 900 block of East Pico Boulevard. The person who reported the robbery said multiple men ran into the business with guns drawn. When officers arrived at the packing business, they found one man suffering from a gunshot wound. He died. The Los Angeles Police Department does not have a description of the suspects
1 dead after semi-truck accident on I-69 in Greene County
GREENE COUNTY, Ind. — One person died in an early Friday morning accident on I-69, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. Officials said that deputies responded to a report of a semi-truck accident on I-69 at around 2:13 a.m. on Friday. When deputies arrived, they found the truck was overturned and was on fire in the construction area. The department said that one person died as a result of the accident, which is still under investigation.
4 Law Enforcement Officers Killed And 5 Others Wounded In Charlotte, North Carolina
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — On Monday, April 29, eight law enforcement officials were shot, four fatally, in the Shannon Park neighborhood in east Charlotte. The four officers killed on Monday in the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since 2016 include three members of a fugitive task force and a local police officer who rushed to try to help when the others came under fire. Two officers who were killed—Samuel Poloche and William Elliott—were with the North Carolina Department of Corrections, while Joshua Eyer was with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and Thomas Weeks was a deputy U.S. Marshal, CMPD chief Johnny Jennings said Tuesday. The other four officers who were injured during the shooting were all with CMPD: Officer Christopher Tolley is the only one still hospitalized and is in stable condition, and officers Michael Giglio, Jack Blowers and Justin Campbell were all released yesterday. Investigators with the Charlotte police said they recovered two firearms—one AR-15 rifle and one handgun—and ammo from the crime scene, which was a residence where the officers were met with gunfire while trying to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
New York Squatter Accused of Killing Two Workers Who Came to House
Buffalo, NY — Police in Buffalo, New York, have taken a person into custody in connection with a double homicide that authorities and the mayor are linking to a home squatter. The unspecified individual was arrested in connection to the deaths of Bangladeshi workers Babul Meah and Abu Yousuf, described as family men who were both shot to death at about 12:35 p.m. Saturday on Zenner Street when attempting to fix up what they thought was a vacant home going up on the market.
Man charged with murder in triple shooting at Lilburn Ethiopian food mart
Lilburn, GA — A man accused of killing a woman, injuring another man and then turning the gun on himself in a triple shooting has been charged with murder, Lilburn police said Tuesday. Investigators believe Teodros Shibeshi, 62, shot two employees inside the Tana Food Mart on Lawrenceville Highway before shooting himself at around 6 p.m. Saturday, Capt. Scott Bennett said. It was the first homicide of the year for the city of Lilburn, according to police. A 57-year-old woman, Tigist Lulesegd, died at the scene and the two men were taken to Northside Hospital Gwinnett for treatment of gunshot wounds, Bennett said. The woman’s 62-year-old family friend, who worked at her store, was shot in the leg, police said.