How workers died last week: Trench collapse, rail incident, pinned by a truck, trapped in a cistern, plane crash tree care, vehicle incidents, 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.
Worker killed in trench collapse at Mabank construction site
Mabank, TX — A construction worker died in a trench collapse in Mabank on Wednesday. According to Mabank police, officers and fire and rescue were dispatched to the 1000 block of North State Highway 198 at 10:29 a.m., where a worker was trapped in a trench collapse. Rescue crews extricated the worker and began life-saving measures on the man and he was taken to a Gun Barrel City hospital. The man, Abraham Gomez Cruz, 38, of Hutchins, died at the hospital. The incident is under investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.
Worker killed in Jackson by file cabinet
JACKSON, Mich. (WILX) – A 46-year-old student support specialist in Jackson died after a metal file cabinet fell on top of them. According to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), the incident happened on April 30. Emergency services were called, and the employee was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy indicated the cause of death to be traumatic (compression) chest asphyxia from the file cabinet. This is the eleventh worker death in Michigan so far in 2025.
Construction worker dies after being injured at Michigan high school
Potterville, MI — More details have emerged regarding the death of a construction worker at a Michigan high school. According to a report from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the death a 27-year-old at a gym at Potterville High School on June 16 is the 12th workplace fatality of 2025. The MIOSHA report indicates that two employees were working on an aerial lift setting steel trusses when the incident occurred. Several unsecured steel trusses fell and struck both employees, trapping them in the aerial lift. Both were hospitalized and the condition of the second employee is unknown. The report also says that a few hours before the fatal incident, there was a near miss when unsecured steel trusses fell, one landing on the ground and one landing on an aerial lift occupied by the two employees. The fatal incident occurred during a second attempt to secure the trusses, the report said. The workers were employees of Eagle Enterprises, but Lansing-based Clark Construction is overseeing the job. Neither worker has been identified by name. Officials in Eaton County are investigating.
Construction worker’s body found inside house cistern
Hallsville, MO — Firefighters in Hallsville, Missouri, have recovered the body of a construction worker who fell into a home’s water-filled cistern on Monday. The Boone County Fire Protection District said firefighters were called to the scene near the intersection of Hallsville and Elm streets Monday morning to reports of a missing construction worker. They met with a construction worker on the scene who said he had left the site briefly and, upon returning, was unable to find his coworker. Firefighters and Hallsville Police Department officers worked quickly to search the area for the missing worker, but couldn’t find them, according to a press release from the department. Due to evidence at the scene, it didn’t appear that the worker had left the area. “Fire crews then began pumping water from the cistern using trash pumps,” the press release said. “During this operation, the body of an adult male was discovered deceased in the water-filled cistern.” First responders recovered the body and transported it to the Boone County Medical Examiner’s Office for an ongoing investigation into the cause of death. The district said the Hallsville Police Department is leading the investigation and will release the identity of the victim when appropriate.
Roadside Construction worker hit and killed on the job
Cedar Rapids, IA — A construction worker has died in a workplace accident at the intersection of I-380 and Wright Brothers Boulevard Thursday afternoon. According to Cedar Rapids Police, the accident took place at approximately 2:19 p.m. When officers arrived on scene, they found one person had died as a result of an industrial accident. Police confirmed the accident involved a construction worker walking near a large piece of road construction equipment. Police said there is no criminal aspect to this case.
Fatal accident at U.S. Steel plant claims life of Fairfield father
1 dead, 1 injured in Clearwater Publix construction accident
Clearwater, FL — A man working at the construction site of a new Clearwater Publix died after a scissor lift collapsed Monday. Another worker was injured in the accident. Clearwater police and Clearwater Fire and Rescue responded to the construction accident about 5 p.m. Monday at the job site at 1295 S. Missouri Ave., according to a news release from the city of Clearwater. Investigators believe Victor Hugo Martinez Gelves of Davenport and Gustavo Esmir Linarez Castillo of Orlando were injured when the lift collapsed. Both were taken to local hospitals as trauma alerts. Martinez Gelves, 38, was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where he died less than an hour after arriving. Linarez Castillo, 43, was taken to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. He sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, officials said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified, according to the release.
Worker dies after fall from 15-foot ladder at St. Augustine City Hall
St. Augustine, FL — A worker fell from a 15-foot ladder at St. Augustine City Hall on June 20. The man, employed by Blanchard Caulking and Coating, later died from his injuries. A man hospitalized after falling from a 15-foot ladder in the courtyard of St. Augustine City Hall has died, according to the company he worked for. Blanchard Caulking and Coating, a commercial waterproofing business, confirmed to Times-Union news partner First Coast News that its employee died following the June 20 incident. St. Johns County Fire Rescue said the middle-aged man was taken to Flagler Hospital after falling off the ladder