How workers died last week. Suffocated in a collapsed trench, hit by a car while on strike, airplane crash, shot by a co-worker, pinned by a car, factory fire. 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 Worker in Houston
Houston, TX — A construction worker died Wednesday afternoon after an 8-foot trench collapsed at a southwest Houston Apartment Complex, according to a spokesperson for the Houston Fire Department. HFD spokesperson Richard Rawlings said a construction crew dug the trench to perform maintenance at the Stone River Apartments at 8901 Bisonnet St. One worker who was also in the trench was able to escape up a ladder, but the other was pronounced dead at the scene after he was buried in the collapse. The workers who were not caught in the collapse dug the man who died out and were making efforts to save his life when HFD arrived. Firefighters also attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene around 2 p.m. Rawlings said no one else was injured. The identity of the man who died has not been released. Officials are working to notify his family before they identify him, Rawlings said. The Houston Police Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were also at the complex investigating Thursday afternoon. Officials did not name the company that was performing the construction.
Striking Worker killed after truck crashes into Eaton Aerospace picket line
Lansing, MI — Picketing worker killed after truck crashes into a crowd of striking UAW Local 475 Eaton Aerospace workers Saturday night, killing at least one and sending several others to the hospital. Michigan AFL-CIO, with which UAW is affiliated, says the victim was a 23-year-old striking worker but did not identify the victim. Five others were injured—with three remaining in critical condition. The Jackson Police Department tells 6 News they are “investigating a fatal crash” that occurred at the corner of E Michigan Ave and S East Ave. Witnesses say passing trucks were speeding down the road when one of them swerved or lost control, driving onto the sidewalk and colliding with several members of the picket line.
Two non-profit employees killed in Alaska Plane Crash
Nome, AK — Two passengers aboard the Bering Air plane that crashed outside Nome, Alaska, on Feb. 6 were utility workers who worked with a local nonprofit health organization. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) identified two of the 10 people on the flight as utility operations employees Rhone Baumgartner and Kameron Hartvigson, who worked as part of their Division of Environmental Health and Engineering team, according to KTUU-TV. A small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome, which was located Friday on sea ice, and all 10 people on board were dead. The organization’s interim president and CEO Natasha Singh said in a statement to the outlet that the pair had been flying back from Unalakleet after helping to “address heating and mechanical issues” that rural residents were having “in the depths of winter.” “[They] were passionate about the work they did, cared deeply for the communities they served, and made a lasting impact on rural communities across our state,” Singh said.
Two police officers and a medic were killed during domestic call
Burnsville, MN — Two police officers and a paramedic were shot and killed in Burnsville Sunday morning. WCCO identified the victims as Officers Paul Elmstrand, 27; and Matthew Ruge, 27; and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth, 40. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported the shooter was also dead, and it is investigating the incident. The first responders were called to a home for reports of an armed man barricaded with family members. The situation escalated into gunfire, WCCO reported, and Elmstrand, Ruge, and Finseth were killed, and another police officer was injured but is expected to survive. Finseth was providing aid to an injured officer when he was fatally shot, police said. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said during a news conference on Sunday that Finseth was a part of a SWAT team that had been called to a domestic situation. The city reported Elmstrand joined the Burnsville Police Department in 2017 and was promoted in 2019, while Ruge joined the force in 2020. Finseth has been a firefighter/paramedic with the city since 2019.
Construction worker hit and killed by Semi Truck
Rogers, MN — A construction worker was killed in a crash on Interstate 94 on Tuesday, Oct. 2. Vernon Carl Hedquist, 59, of Pillager, died from his injuries sustained in the crash, which happened shortly after 2 p.m.. Another worker, sustained injuries deems not life-threatening, according to the Minnesota State Patrol incident report. The State Patrol said Oscar Rene Siguencia-Orbe, 30, of Minneapolis, was driving his 2018 Ford F-150 with a trailer eastbound on the freeway near where it slipped under County Road 81 when he slowed for traffic. The truck was rear-ended by a bigger truck – a 2014 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Tate Ryan Doom, 47, of St. Paul Park. The F-150 spun into a lane for construction, striking stationary vehicles. The F-150 and its trailer also struck Hedquist and Wood in the construction zone.
First Georgia officer killed in line of duty in 2025
Roswell, GA — A Roswell Police Department officer was killed by gunfire on Friday night. Roswell Police identified the officer killed as 24-year-old Officer Jeremy Labonte. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced that 23-year-old Edward Espinoza was charged with murder after allegedly opening fire, in what the agency described as an ambush-like attack, on the officer near the ACE Pickleball Club on Market Boulevard. This homicide marks the first law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in Georgia in 2025. According to the Officer Down Memorial page, six Georgia law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2024, five of whom were from agencies in metro Atlanta.
Work trapped and killed by an industrial press in workplace accident at Hoosier Tire & Rubber
Plymouth, IN — A 30-year-old Plymouth man has reportedly died in a workplace accident at Hoosier Tire & Rubber. Plymouth police identified the victim as Marshall Hunt and believe that he was caught in a press just after midnight on Feb. 7. The incident is under investigation by the Marshall County coroner, IOSHA, and Plymouth police, WNDU reported. Hoosier Tire & Rubber has had two serious safety violations in the last seven years, according to OSHA, but records of previous work-related deaths have not been found.
Semi Truck driver hit and killed by steel tubing at Lippert plant
Goshen, IN — A man died in a reported workplace accident at a Lippert Components Plant. Goshen Police reported that Milos Jovanovic, 36, of Naperville, Ill., was hit by a large bundle of steel tubing. Police did not specify where Jovanovic was hit. The incident occurred while a load of steel was being delivered off of Jovanovic’s semi-truck, police said in a press release. Goshen Police did not provide Jovanovic’s condition at the scene. Police said that paramedics attempted life-saving measures, but Jovanovic was pronounced dead upon arriving at the airfield for Med Flight.
EMT Paramedic Killed by Suspected Drunk Driver
Columbus, OH — A Pike County EMT was hit and killed by a drunk driver in a head-on collision. The employee was identified as 25-year-old Logan Warren. Police are investigating the death as a suspected OVI crash. The man accused of drinking and driving is 37-year-old John Moore. Moore was booked into the Gallia County Jail Friday and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. For five years, Warren put the lives of others before his own as a firefighter and EMT for Huntington Township.
Semi crash leaves truck driver dead in Huntington County
Huntington County, IN — Truck driver is dead after a semi tractor-trailer crash Friday morning. The Huntington County Coroner’s Office responded to I-69 northbound near mile marker 280 around 6:14 a.m. According to the coroner, 62-year-old Bruce A. Ragland of Gaston was traveling north on I-69 in a semi at the time of the crash. The coroner says Ragland left the roadway for an unknown reason, striking a culvert, which sent the trailer’s content forward. Reports state the shift pinned Ragland in the cab. According to the coroner, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, with his manner of death determined as accidental.
Caddo School’s employee was found dead at central office Friday morning
Caddo Parish, LA — A staff member of Caddo Parish School District was found dead inside the central offices Friday morning. On Feb. 7, Caddo staff discovered that one of their employees had passed away overnight while at work. According to the school district, it is believed that the staff member passed away from natural causes. The employee’s name has yet to be released.
Las Vegas Police Officer shot and killed on duty
Las Vegas, NV — A North Las Vegas Police officer was killed in the line of duty. 46-year-old Jason Roscow was killed in a shootout with an armed suspect Tuesday. The shooting occurred in a neighborhood near West Lone Mountain Road and Camino Al Norte, in a neighborhood located near Craig Ranch Park. The 25-year-old man who shot Roscow also died. Officer Roscow had been with North Las Vegas Police since 2007, working in different divisions, including traffic and patrol — and was recognized with an Exemplary Service Award. Roscow leaves behind his young sons, Graysen, 9, and Andrew, 4.
City Worker Found Unresponsive at Newark City Hall, Pronounced Dead
Newark, NJ — A public employee was found unresponsive inside City Hall on Thursday morning. According to Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, officers responded to a report of a sick or injured person at 920 Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson Boulevard at approximately 8:28 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered an unresponsive man, identified as Mr. Corey McGill, inside the building. Emergency responders pronounced McGill deceased at 8:50 a.m. While the investigation is ongoing, officials have stated that the circumstances surrounding the death do not appear suspicious at this time.
At least 2 killed in Ohio shooting at warehouse; suspect in custody
New Albany, Ohio —Two employees have died following a shooting at an Ohio warehouse, and four others remain hospitalized as the co-worker accused of the attack is expected in court, police said Thursday. Police provided no further details on the death or the conditions of the hospitalized workers following the shooting Tuesday in New Albany, about 15 miles northeast of downtown Columbus. The suspect had been at work “for some time” before the gunfire, and the police are checking addresses associated with the suspect. Bruce Reginald Foster III, 28, has been identified as the chief suspect and will be arraigned on Thursday, New Albany Police Chief Greg Jones said during a Wednesday news conference. The shooting happened at the warehouse of a company that makes products, including cosmetics and toiletries. About 150 employees inside the building were evacuated to the safety of a nearby building.