Welcome Dylan Chamberlain, a labor studies major at Columbia University, who has graciously volunteered to take over writing The Weekly Toll.
How workers died last week. Hit by a train, electrocuted, trapped in machinery, explosion, vehicle incidents, stabbing and shootings. 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.
Construction Worker Killed After MTA Bus Strikes Boom Lift
New York, NY — A worker was killed when an MTA bus struck his construction vehicle, flinging him to his death on Fifth Avenue in Midtown. The 39-year-old worker was apparently changing a billboard atop a Victoria’s Secret store on Fifth Avenue when the bus hit his boom lift just after 9:30 p.m. He was thrown 20 feet from the lift. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The victim was later identified as Vladamir Cruz of the Bronx. The 44-year-old bus driver stayed on scene with no charges filed.
Fabrication worker shot and killed by co-worker while on the job
Palm Beach County, Fla.— Romeish Morgan, a metal fabricator, killed in a workplace shooting on Jan. 21. Authorities reported that Kolby Daniel Edwards, 21, an employee who had only worked at the metal welding and fabrication warehouse since Dec. 16, opened fire on two coworkers inside the building. Romeish Morgan suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at St. Mary’s Medical Center at 1:11pm. Gabriel Suprius, who was shot in the left shoulder, was treated and later released. Investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Illinois Department of Transportation Worker hit by Train
Danforth, IL – An Illinois Department of Transportation worker is found dead after his truck was hit by a train on the 20th of January on US Route 45 in Danforth. IDOT named the deceased worker as Aaron Pittman Teague who was driving a snowplow to clear roads across Central Illinois when his truck was hit by a passing Canadian National freight train. Photos of the incident location showed the intersection had no warning lights or bar gates. IDOT officials said Pittman-Teague had been with the department since 2023. He was taken to a nearby hospital but later died of his injuries. The incident is one of several deaths on the job so far this year.
Farm Worker Killed by Equipment at York County Farm
York County, PA — Fernando Estrada-Moreno, 61, dies after being trapped by equipment on Jan. 23. Estrada-Moreno, a worker at Hillandale Farms, became trapped by an automatic feed trough. He was found unresponsive at the scene and later pronounced dead at Wellspan York Hospital. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Cristina, and their three children.
County Employee Dies After Medical Episode Causes Crash
Middlesex County, NJ — A Middlesex County employee was found dead in a county vehicle Monday after the truck he was driving hit a utility pole, police in North Brunswick said Friday. Township police responded to Apple Orchard Lane on Monday at about 9 a.m. and found David Rosenthal, 64, of Spotswood unconscious and trapped in a pick-up truck after it collided with a utility pole, authorities said. David Rosenthal, 64, dies after crash on Jan. 24 Authorities reported that Rosenthal, a Middlesex County employee, was driving a truck that collided with a utility pole after experiencing a medical episode. He was found unconscious and later pronounced dead at the scene.
Construction Worker Dies at Solar Farm Site
Moorland Township, MI — Unidentified construction worker dies on Jan. 22. A construction worker was killed while working at the site of a 1,900-acre solar farm being built at the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center. Details surrounding the incident have not been released.
Border Patrol Agent Killed in Shooting on Interstate 91
Coventry, VT — David Maland, 44, a Border Patrol agent, killed in the line of duty on Jan. 21. The FBI confirmed that Maland was fatally shot on Interstate 91, just south of the Canadian border. One suspect in the shooting was also killed, while a second suspect was injured and taken into custody. Benjamin Huffman, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, stated that Maland was killed in the line of duty. Authorities have not released further details about the incident or the suspects involved.
Security Guard Killed in CVS Robbery
Dallas, Texas — Anthony Egeonu, 39, a security guard, fatally shot during robbery on Jan. 26. Egeonu, a husband and father of three, confronted suspects attempting to steal from a CVS in the 1400 block of Main Street. After the confrontation, one of the suspects pulled out a gun and opened fire before both ran away from the scene. Egeonu later died at the hospital. A spokesperson for CVS told CBS News Texas that a third-party security company employed the victim. The store and pharmacy were open the day after the shooting.
Pharmaceuticals Driver Killed During Robbery
Shreveport, LA — Truckdriver later identified as Billy Jamison, aged 67, was fatally shot during delivery on Jan. 25. Jamison was delivering pharmaceuticals to a Walgreens location when he was killed during a robbery and carjacking near Line Avenue and Kings Highway. A father of four, Jamison was also the primary caretaker for his 90-year-old father.
Truck Driver Killed in Interstate Crash
Churchill County, NV — Unidentified truck driver dies in crash on Jan. 25 according to Nevada State police. The driver of the semi-truck struck a rolled over semi-truck on the westbound interstate 80 and subsequently as a result of the crash. The driver of the second truck was killed, and another driver suffered moderate injuries.
Worker Falls Into Silo at Concrete Company
Western Massachusetts — Unidentified worker, aged 66, dies after falling into silo on Jan. 24. A worker at a Chicopee-based concrete company fell into a silo used for mixing dry ingredients for cement. He was found after failing to respond to radio calls. Moscaritolo, who serves on the Public Safety Commission commented on the rescue effort noting that “It’s treacherous up there, and they’re trying. It’s very dangerous for the firemen”.
Steel Manufacturing Blast Claims Worker’s Life at Braeburn Steel
LOWER BURRELL, Pa. (KDKA) — One person was killed and multiple others were injured in an explosion at a steel mill in Westmoreland County on Wednesday. According to dispatchers, the furnace explosion happened at the Braeburn Alloy Steel Division on Braeburn Road in Lower Burrell. Dispatchers said two people were taken to the hospital and two people were treated at the scene. The medical examiner said 20-year-old Daniel Vakulick later died at the hospital. His cause and manner of death haven’t been released.
Worker Crushed by Shipping Container
Waipahu, HI — A 57 year old man, who has yet to be identified, dies in industrial accident on Jan. 24. The worker was crushed by a shipping container on Leoole Street. Police reported no foul play, and an investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances of the incident. The man was employed by Island Home Building Materials, Waipahu.
Man dies in Phoenix after building materials fall on him
Phoenix, AZ — A man died in Phoenix shortly before 1 a.m. on Thursday after building materials fell on him, police said. He was operating a crane and attempting to unload several 800-pound slabs of quartz, police said. Two of them broke free and landed on him. The Phoenix Fire Department responded, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two Workers Die in Electrocution Incident
Pittsylvania County, VA —Two people were electrocuted in a freak accident Thursday on a Pittsylvania County Farm. Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor says it happened Thursday afternoon in the 5400 block of Dry Fork Road. It originally came in as a fire call, so local volunteers were the first on the scene. A witness says two people were unloading a trailer of grain into a grain bin. While they were moving a tall chute, the equipment touched some nearby high-voltage power lines. The victims’ names were released Friday. They are 24-year-old Juan Arizmendi of 6940 Dry Fork Road and 67-year-old Phillip Hylton of 461 Hylton Lane in Dry Forks.
Family seeks answers after Houston father of seven dies in tragic workplace accident in Seguin
HOUSTON, TX — A family is grappling with immense grief after a beloved father of seven is killed in what police are describing as an accident in Seguin. The Seguin Police Department said that Arlen Vargas, 39, died Friday night at the Niagara Bottling factory in Seguin, about 40 minutes away from San Antonio, after he was crushed between a tractor-trailer and the building. Investigators said that Arlen, who lived in Houston, was a driver with another company, and he was waiting for a shipment. Police said it was unclear why Vargas had exited his vehicle and was near the building at the time of the incident. Employees and then first responders tried to save Arlen, but he died at the scene.
Truck driver killed in San Jacinto Co. crash
San Jacinto, TX — A truck driver died after a vehicle carrying hazardous materials crashed on FM 1725 near FM 3081 on Friday. The San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office says a chemical tanker truck carrying hazardous materials crashed and rolled over on FM 1725 near FM 3081 and SH 150. The truck that carried the tanker had veered off of the roadway, lost control and overturned on its side, according to Sgt. Sammy Lattner with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Sgt. Lattner says the tanker was carrying 2,800 gallons of sulphur dioxide, but it lost about 1,300 gallons due to the crash.
UTV accident claims worker’s life in Ravenna
RAVENNA, Michigan — A person is dead after a workplace accident in Ravenna, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) says. It happened on January 16 when a 42-year-old was pulling a trailer with a UTV. The trailer came off the hitch and the trailer’s tongue went underneath the UTV, causing it to hit a metal pole. The pole penetrated the cab and fatally hit the victim, MIOSHA says.
This is the second worker death in Michigan in 2025.
Chinese restaurant staff mourns death of delivery worker in New Haven
New Haven, CT — The search is on for the gunman that shot and killed a food delivery driver in New Haven. It’s the city’s first homicide of the year and as police try to piece together what happened, we’re learning more about the 26-year-old killed. The search is on for the gunman that shot and killed a food delivery driver in New Haven. It’s the city’s first homicide of the year and as police try to piece together what happened, we’re learning more about the 26-year-old killed. Pieces of police tape are all that’s left on Shepard Street in New Haven, the site of a crime scene Sunday afternoon. Police say it’s where 26-year-old Raviteja Koyyada was shot and killed while making a delivery.
Employee charged in Columbus liquor store stabbing death
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – An arrest has been made in connection with a deadly Monday night stabbing incident at a Columbus liquor store. James Applewhite, 24, is charged with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime for the death of 28-year-old Quandarius Reynolds. Authorities responded to a call at Kick N Chicken, a business located at 5120 Warm Springs Rd., shortly before 7:30 p.m. Monday. Police reported that Applewhite, an employee at the business, and Reynolds engaged in a verbal argument that escalated into a physical altercation. During the confrontation, Applewhite allegedly grabbed a knife and stabbed Reynolds. Police said Reynolds was found suffering from a stab wound at a nearby business after leaving the liquor store. He was taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional, where he later died.