How workers die. Falls, salt mine, shootings, vehicle incidents. 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.
St. Augustine pavement plant worker killed in industrial accident
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A worker is dead after an industrial accident at a St. Augustine pavement plant Monday morning, according to St. Johns County Fire Rescue. Crews responded around 10:40 a.m. to a business on Industrial Drive, near State Road 16, and pronounced the victim dead on the scene, officials said. According to the address provided to First Coast News, the accident happened at Traffic Material Supplier, LLC. which is a granular thermoplastic pavement markings production plant, according to its website. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation into the accident. A medical examiner will need to determine the victim’s cause of death.
Man Dies In Fall From Roof In Nassau County
Lynnbrook, NY — A man fell to his death from the roof of a two-story home on Long Island, authorities say. The incident occurred on Maple Avenue in Lynbrook on Saturday, Nov. 30. According to Nassau County Police, the 47-year-old man lost his footing while working on the roof and fell to the ground, sustaining severe head trauma. The victim, whose identity and place of residence have not been released, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead by a physician. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been notified, and the investigation is ongoing.
ARDOT worker dies at Hempstead County construction site
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY, Ark. – An Arkansas Department of Transportation worker died on a construction site on Tuesday. ARDOT officials said 29-year-old Brandon Lee Jones died while picking up cones at a Highway 32 site. Jones was in the back of a truck when he slipped and fell and the truck hit him, officials said. Officials said they were not sure if the fall or the truck was what killed him. The Arkansas State Police are investigating. Jones began working for ARDOT in July, officials said.
Man killed in industrial accident at Ohio salt mine
Cleveland, OH — One person is dead after an industrial accident at a salt mine in Ohio on Wednesday. The accident happened at Cargill Salt in Cleveland, according to WKYC in Cleveland. Cargill said that the Mine Safety and Health Administration is on scene investigating at this time. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified him as Grzegorz Sychla of Broadview Heights.
Co-workers remember a fallen tow-truck driver killed in I-271 wrong-way crash
BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio (WOIO) – Dozens of two trucks pulled out of I & A Automotive Saturday afternoon, retracing the final ride of Henry Banks as a tribute to the fallen driver. “Right now, we’re all hurting because we lost a wonderful driver,” said co-worker Kaylee Peet of I & A Automotive, who helped organize the ride. “Henry was a friend,” added Isaiah Thomas, also of I & A, where Banks worked. “He just wasn’t an employee here. He’s a family man, great tow-er, all-around great guy. It’s just unfortunate that this happened.” Early Monday morning, Henry Banks and a wrong-way driver both lost their lives on I-271 Northbound when a Toyota Tundra traveling the wrong way crashed head-on into Henry’s tow truck just north of Chagrin Boulevard. “Thank God we’re able to celebrate him today,” said Thomas
2 killed in Saturday-morning turnpike crash
Fulton County, OH — Two men were killed when two tractor-trailers collided head-on in a Saturday morning crash on the Ohio Turnpike in Fulton County, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The Swanton post is investigating a two-vehicle double-fatal crash that occurred at approximately 12:12 a.m. at milepost 26 eastbound. Ronald Dempsey, 46, of Savannah, Ga., was driving a 2007 Freightliner Columbia semi eastbound on I-80. Jean Moise, 45, of Miami, was driving a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia semi westbound on I-80 with a passenger, Wilson Jeune, 59, of Indianapolis. Mr. Moise crossed the median and struck Mr. Dempsey head-on. Both tractor-trailers traveled off the south side of I-80. Mr. Jeune was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr. Dempsey was transported by Mercy Health Life Flight to the University of Toledo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Mr. Moise was not injured in the crash.
One dead following head-on collision involving 2 semi-trucks in Hamilton County
HAMILTON COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) – A head-on collision involving two semi-trucks in Hamilton County early Tuesday morning left one driver dead and the other driver in critical condition, according to Florida Highway Patrol. The incident unfolded around 3:45 a.m. Tuesday at US Highway 129 near NW 86th Avenue in Hamilton County, according to FHP’s press release. The state agency did not say how the crash happened. The driver of one of the semi-trucks was transported to Shands Live Oak where FHP said he was pronounced dead. The driver of the other semi-truck involved in the crash was left in critical condition, per FHP, and transported to Georgia. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time, according to the press release.
Verona Volunteer Firefighter Dies After Responding to Emergency Call
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Johnny Goines, a firefighter with the Verona Volunteer Fire Department, died shortly after responding to an emergency call late Friday, November 22, 2024. At 10:46 p.m. that night, the Onslow County 911 Center received a call regarding a motor vehicle accident in the area of High Hill Road and Verona Road. Verona Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the scene. A short time later Onslow County 911 Telecommunicators received a call at 11:07 p.m. regarding a white car in a ditch near 208 High Hill Road. Verona Volunteer Fire Department and Onslow County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and found Mr. Goines unresponsive.
Salem Semi-Truck Driver Killed in Kelso Rollover Crash
Kelso, OR — A crash last Friday night near the I-5 southbound off-ramp at exit 42 in Kelso involved a semi-truck and a passenger truck. The semi-truck driver, 57-year-old Brian Campbell from Salem, was trapped in the overturned vehicle and later died from his injuries. Another person was hospitalized. KATU reported that the rescue operation took over two hours, during which they used the jaws of life to free the trapped driver, Brian Campbell.
Roofer dies working on building and remains there for days as holiday party goes on below
Burbank, CA — A man hired to work on a roof died while on the job — but his body wasn’t discovered until days later after a block holiday party, police say. Authorities and paramedics responded to a November 23 report of an “unresponsive male” on the roof of a business at the 3500 block of West Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, California, Burbank Police said. Officers immediately began life-saving measures, but the unidentified man was pronounced dead, police said. Police discovered the man “had been hired to do some work on the roof and had passed away while doing the work,” authorities said. Authorities suspect no signs of foul play or trauma in the incident. Police have not disclosed his name or age. It’s not immediately clear who discovered the man on the roof. The man was last seen on Thursday and a missing persons report was filed by his family on Friday, but his body wasn’t found until Saturday, KTLA reported.
North Texas police department mourns officer killed in shootout
GREENVILLE, Texas — A Greenville police officer died after he was shot multiple times and returned fire, hitting a suspect, the Greenville Police Department confirmed. Officer Cooper Dawson, 27, died Tuesday morning after he was shot while pursuing a suspect, the department said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference. Around 7:40 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 in the 3500 block of Pickett Street, police say Dawson initiated a traffic stop after a suspect with “multiple felony warrants” was seen getting into a vehicle. Police Chief Chris Smith said Tuesday’s news conference that the suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Christian Robert Sparger, fled on foot, Dawson and his partner pursued Sparger, and he shot Dawson multiple times. Dawson returned fire and injured Sparger, Smith said. Smith said despite being wounded, Dawson applied his own tourniquet and walked responding officers through treatment. Officer Dawson was later airlifted to Medical City Plano, where he succumbed to his injuries around 4:30 a.m., the department said Tuesday morning.
Family can’t understand why father was shot, killed while working landscaping job in Chicago
CHICAGO, IL — A family of five has been torn apart right before the holidays, after a father of five was shot and killed in an apparent ambush while working a landscaping job in the Englewood neighborhood earlier this month. The family of Ricardo Rebollar also continues to search for answers. A candle burned to remember Rebollar Wednesday night. Reminds of the 59-year-old still fill his Cicero home—from his hat and power tools to his glasses. “Family guy—been here over 40 years, Never had an issue with anybody else,” said Rebollar’s son, Marcos. “You know, so this tragic thing that happened—and it just broke everybody’s hearts.” Rebollar’s sons, Marcos and Elian, said their dad was a kind, hardworking man. He worked landscaping and construction jobs. Earlier this month, Rebollar was working with his brother in an alley near 64th Street and Parnell Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood when they were ambushed. Police said Rebollar was shot several times and died. His brother was uninjured.
66-year-old dies 2 months after falling 20 feet from roof
BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) – A 66-year-old roofer died after they fell while at work in Bay City in September, according to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA). The incident happened on Sept. 16; the victim was working on a roof when they fell 20 feet, according to MIOSHA. Emergency services responded to the scene and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital, MIOSHA said, adding he died from the injuries he suffered on Nov. 20. MIOSHA said the preliminary description reflects the information provided to the administration at the initial report of the incident and is not the result of the official investigation. This is the 31st Michigan worker death in 2024.
75-year-old crossing guard killed by car in Hunterdon County
High Bridge, NJ — A 75-year-old crossing guard was struck and killed by a car in Hunterdon County yesterday. According to police, Robert Bork was hit by a vehicle on Fairview Avenue near Larriarson Road in High Bridge around noon, just before students were dismissed from High Bridge Elementary School. Bork was airlifted to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Jesse Branch, 35, had worked for Red Lake law enforcement since he was 18 years old
RED LAKE, Minn. — An on-duty Red Lake tribal police officer was one of two drivers who died in a traffic collision Wednesday. The crash occurred on Hwy. 1 east of the Red Lake community, according to the Red Lake Police Department. Police identified the officer as Jesse Branch, 35, and the other person who died as Alan Lussier Jr ., 37. The circumstances of the crash have yet to be disclosed. Red Lake Tribal Chair Darrell G Seki Sr . has ordered flags flown at half-staff at tribal buildings and other locations in Branch’s honor.
Chicago-area police officer killed while responding to ‘armed offender’ at bank
Oak Park, IL — A Chicago-area police officer died after being shot while responding to a “call involving an armed offender” seen leaving a bank, officials say. The killing of Oak Park Police Detective Allan Reddins, 40, on Friday “marks the first Line of Duty death for the Oak Park Police Department since 1938,” the village said in a statement. Hours later, a suspect was charged. Reddins, who joined the department in 2019, was one of several officers who confronted the suspect seen leaving a Chase Bank location, according to Johnson. When police asked the suspect to show his hands, he allegedly drew a gun and opened fire at Reddins.
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