How Workers Died Last Week: Crushed by machinery, tiger attack, pipeline, farming, drowning, tree trimming, construction, vehicle incidents 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. Why We Write The Weekly Toll
Employee at Milwaukee pizza manufacturing plant crushed to death by robotic machine
MILWAUKEE, WI — An employee at the Palermo’s Pizza facility in West Milwaukee died after he was crushed by a robotic machine. It happened around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed it was dispatched to the scene. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was contacted as well. The victim was identified as 45-year-old Robert Chereone, WITI-TV reports. Officials say he was working at the pizza manufacturing plant when he was crushed by a robotic machine.
Man dead after being crushed by jet engine
SAN ANTONIO, TX – A man is dead after a jet engine fell on him at Port SA on the Southwest Side. It happened around 4:40 p.m. Friday at General Hudnell Drive and Warner Circle. Police tell us a man in his 70’s was helping a coworker move the engine on a dolly in the loading dock area. He tried reaching for something, the dolly started rolling and knocked him off the dock. The engine fell on top of him, killing him. The San Antonio Fire Department said the victim was dead when they arrived. Police are calling this a “freak workplace accident” and say the engine weighed more than 2.5 tons.
24-year-old man killed at West Knox County construction site
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the death of a 24-year-old man at a West Knox County construction site Thursday night. KCSO said the Major Crimes Unit was called to a construction site off Lovell Road after receiving a report of a 24-year-old man getting pinned by an excavator against a rock bucket and suffering life-threatening injuries. KCSO said the man was transported to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
Caretaker killed by tiger at wildlife preserve in southeastern Oklahoma
HUGO, Okla. — (AP) — An animal handler was killed by a tiger under his care at a preserve for big cats in southeastern Oklahoma, the organization said Sunday. Growler Pines Tiger Preserve said in a statement that Ryan Easley died Saturday in “an accident” involving a tiger at the property near Hugo, not far from the Texas border. “This tragedy is a painful reminder of both the beauty and unpredictability of the natural world,” the preserve said on its Facebook page. “Ryan understood those risks — not out of recklessness but out of love. The animals under his care were not just animals to him, but beings he formed a connection with — one rooted in respect, daily care and love.”
Dennis Firefighter Dies Following Occupational Cancer Battle
Dennis,MA — Professional Firefighters Local 2583 has announced the line-of-duty death of Captain Wayne Conlon who served with the Dennis Fire Department for more than 40 years. Captain Conlon passed away following a battle with occupational cancer. In addition to his commitment to the Fire Department, Captain Conlon served as the President of the Dennis Firefighters union for 27 years, making him the longest-serving union President in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Man Killed in Centre County Farming Accident
Marion Township, PA — A Centre County man died on Thursday after getting caught in farm equipment used for harvesting forage crops. Levi Glick, 23, was pronounced dead after emergency responders were dispatched at about 3:05 p.m. to a farm on the 5500 block of Jacksonville Road in Marion Township, according to Centre County Chief Deputy Coroner John D. Kubalak. Glick became entangled in a silage chopper while filling a corn silo, Kubalak said.
Woman killed by hit-and-run driver while directing traffic around Van Wyck Expressway construction project
New York, NY — A 44-year-old construction worker was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver as she was directing traffic around a New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) roadside construction project on Friday morning on the Nassau Expressway in South Ozone Park. Police from the 113th Precinct responded to a 911 call of a pedestrian struck just before 7:30 a.m. in the vicinity of the eastbound Nassau Expressway and the Van Wyck Expressway the northbound Van Wyck Expressway, and they found the construction worker on the roadway. EMS pronounced her dead at the scene. The victim was identified on Saturday as Isabel Alvarez of Rogers Place in the Longwood section of the Bronx. A preliminary investigation by the NYPD’s Highway District Collision Investigation Squad determined that Alvarez was flagging traffic in a safety zone between the exit ramp and the eastbound lanes of the Nassau Expressway around the construction area when the unlicensed driver of a white 2018 Infiniti Q50S struck her and kept driving northbound on the Nassau Expressway.
Man dies following accident at Lindsay Manufacturing construction site
LINDSAY, VA — An electrician died last week following an accident at the construction site of Lindsay Manufacturing’s new galvanizing facility. On Sept. 11, a 37-year-old man was transported from Lindsay Manufacturing to Boone County Hospital in Albion, where he was pronounced dead, according to Platte County Sheriff Ed Wemhoff. The sheriff said the death investigation was turned over to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. An obituary indicated that the man involved in the accident was Anthony Aulner of Blue Hill. Aulner was working for Interstates, an electrical and automation business with its headquarters in Sioux Center, Iowa.
Authorities release names of 3 police officers killed in Pennsylvania shooting
North Codorus Township, PA — Authorities identified the man suspected of fatally shooting three Pennsylvania law enforcement officers and wounding two more and confirmed he was being investigated for stalking in an update on Sept. 18. Two officers injured were in critical but stable condition as of Sept. 18. They have not been identified. The officers killed were identified as Detective Sergeant Cody Becker, Detective Mark Baker and Detective Isaiah Emenheiser. “I personally knew them very, very well,” Barker said. “They were wonderful.” The shooting occurred in North Codorus Township, which has a population of just over 9,000 people and sits in York County, Pennsylvania. The evening of Sept. 17, police and emergency vehicles escorted the bodies of the fallen officers to the county coroner’s office in a procession as hundreds lined the streets to pay their respects, reported the York Daily Record. A vigil is planned for the evening of Sept. 18 at a church in neighboring Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.
22-year-old worker dies after being struck by falling tree trunk in DeLand
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A 22-year-old tree service worker was killed Thursday morning in an accident while cutting trees in DeLand, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. According to deputies said the incident happened around 9:40 a.m. on George Ryan Road. Reports suggest that the worker and a co-worker were trimming trees when the co-worker, operating from a bucket truck with a chainsaw, signaled he was ready to make a cut after confirming the area below was clear. Investigators said the victim, who had been standing near a truck away from the work zone, returned beneath the tree just as a trunk fell, striking him. The co-worker immediately called 911 and attempted lifesaving measures, but paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene. Authorities said the death appears to have been accidental.
Husband, Dad Killed In Meat Processing Facility Accident In Saugerties Was ‘Friend To All’
Hudson Valley, NY — A Hudson Valley community is grieving the loss of a beloved husband, father, and kitchen worker who died after a tragic workplace accident earlier this month. Salomon “Salo” Pop Chub, of Saugerties, died Monday, Sept. 15, after spending a week in critical condition following an accident at a meat processing facility. He lost a significant amount of blood and went into cardiac arrest multiple times, according to a GoFundMe campaign.
Road worker dies 6 days after falling from truck near Midland
MIDLAND COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) – A road worker setting up construction barrels on U.S. 10 near Midland died nearly a week after falling from a pickup truck. The Midland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating says 30-year-old Eduardo Aguilar from Allen Park was riding on the back of a pickup truck while placing barrels in a construction zone along eastbound U.S. 10 near the West River Road entrance ramp on the morning of Sept. 8. Aguilar fell from the truck and hit his head on the pavement. An ambulance rushed him to MyMichigan Medical Center in Midland, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday.
Two AZ Firefighters Killed in Ambulance Crash
Phoenix, AZ –Two Timber Mesa Fire and Medical District firefighters were killed in a head-on collision Sunday night on Highway 260 near mile marker 319, while returning to Show Low after transporting patients to Phoenix. The fire district said Brenna Kulikowski, 31, a three-year firefighter and paramedic and Damon Thompson, 21, died at the scene along with the other driver, whose vehicle crossed the center line resulting in a head-on crash with the ambulance, News 12 reports. Kulikowski leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter, while Thompson had nearly completed his first year on the job. Fire Chief Randy Chevalier said the department has never experienced such a loss.
Suspect arrested for killing 2 O’Reilly Auto Parts employees over oil
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A suspect is in jail for allegedly shooting and killing two employees over oil at an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Albuquerque. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 27-year-old Ismael Tena for the alleged shooting. It happened Sunday evening at the O’Reilly’s just north of Coors Boulevard and Blake Road. At around 5:12 p.m., Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies found a man shot and dead in the parking lot. Inside the store, they found a bystander tending to a person with a gunshot wound to the back. That person died on the way to the hospital. BCSO identified the victims as 47-year-old Richard Newman and 18-year-old Jesus Valdez.
Egan man leaves young son behind after fatal workplace accident
Egan, SD — An Egan man has died following a workplace accident earlier this month near Trent, leaving behind his 5-year-old son. Austin John Otto, 26, was critically injured when a pipe exploded at a construction site west of Trent on Sept. 4. He was airlifted to Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, where he died Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. “From what we have been told, they were attempting to release pressure in a line and when attempting it the pipe exploded. That’s the extent of what we know,” Sheriff Troy Wellman told the Moody County Enterprise shortly after the incident
Pipeline accident proves fatal
TIOGA, North Dakota — A Watford City man has died after sustaining fatal injuries in a work-related accident near Tioga on Friday morning. The Mountrail County Sheriff’s Office has stated that the man had been struck in the head by a piece of pipeline equipment and was bleeding severely about three and a half miles east of Tioga in rural Mountrail County. A 911 call was received by the Mountrail County Dispatch Center at 10:35 a.m. Tioga Ambulance Service and officers from the Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene. The man was taken to the Tioga Medical Center where he died from his injuries. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the man was a member of a work crew doing routine maintenance on a Hess Oil Company pipeline when the accident occurred. Officials from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) will be conducting their own investigation into the incident.
Michigan lumber worker dies after being hit in head by board
HILLMAN, MI – Officials have confirmed a workplace fatality in Northern Michigan. The Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration said Thursday that a 64-year-old lumber handler died in Hillman on Tuesday. Officials say the victim was tailing lumber at a conveyor when a piece of lumber was ejected from the nearby edger causing it to ricochet off a backstop and strike the victim in the head. “Every fatality is a tragic reminder of why workplace safety and health must remain a top priority,” officials said in a statement. Specific details about the location of the incident were not immediately available. This is Michigan’s 30th workplace fatality of 2025. There were 34 MIOSHA-related deaths in 2024.
Dump truck driver killed in rollover crash on ramp to I-595 in Davie
Davie, FL — A dump truck driver was killed in a rollover crash on an exit ramp to Interstate 595 from the Florida’s Turnpike in Davie on Thursday. A dump truck driver was killed in a rollover crash on an exit ramp to Interstate 595 from the Florida’s Turnpike in Davie on Thursday. The crash happened around 11:40 a.m. when the dump truck’s driver somehow lost control on the ramp from the southbound Turnpike lanes to I-595, Florida Highway Patrol officials said. The truck hit a concrete barrier wall, rotated clockwise and overturned onto its left side. The driver wasn’t wearing a safety belt and was partially ejected and pronounced dead at the scene, FHP officials said. His identity wasn’t released but officials said he was a 64-year-old man from Miami Lakes.
Caltrans worker hit, killed by truck on Highway 4
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. – A Caltrans worker died Thursday after being hit by a truck on Highway 4 in Contra Costa County. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the news, saying flags at the Capitol will be at half-staff in honor of the worker, identified as 39-year-old Mahdi Khorram. “Mahdi was a dedicated public servant committed to making our roads safer for all Californians,” Newsom said in a statement. “We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues mourning this terrible tragedy.” Khorram was a construction inspector and transportation engineer with Caltrans, based at the agency’s Concord office. The incident occurred at 1:30 a.m. Thursday on Highway 4 near Cummings Skyway in Martinez, according to California’s Department of Industrial Relations. The 39-year-old was working in a construction zone when he was hit by an asphalt truck, transportation officials said. Khorram is survived by his wife and 3-year-old child.
Person killed on National Mall as crew delivered race car painted by Andy Warhol
Washington, DC — One person was killed in an apparent workplace accident on the National Mall as a crew delivered a 1979 “art car” painted by Andy Warhol. D.C. emergency crews were called to 12th Street between Jefferson and Madison drives, east of the Washington Monument, at about 3 p.m. Wednesday and found a person critically injured in a box truck, authorities told News4. Medics treated the injured person, who was pronounced dead. Their name was not immediately released. D.C. police are taking over the investigation and had detectives headed to the scene. The Hagerty Drivers Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to car culture and history, is hosting its annual “Cars at the Capital” exhibition. The 1979 BMW M1 painted by Warhol was set to be on display on the Mall in a glass enclosure through Sept. 23.
Man Dies In Huron County Lawnmower Accident
Sherman Township, MI — A 49-year-old farm worker died Friday in a mowing accident in Huron County. Deputies say they were called to Finkel Road in Sherman Township at about 1:18 p.m., where David D. Lamke was discovered under an overturned mower. Officials report Lamke had been cutting grass with a zero-turn John Deere when coworkers realized they had lost contact with him. He was found in a ditch with the equipment overturned. An autopsy has been requested by the county medical examiner, and the investigation is ongoing.
Lawncare worker in Ohio dies after being shot
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A landscaping worker is dead after allegedly being shot after an argument in east Dayton Thursday. Police said there were people from a landscaping company working in the yard of the house on Indiana Avenue shortly after 11 a.m. According to the police, the neighbor of the home being worked on came out and began arguing with the landscapers, leading to gunshots.
Golf Cart Rollover Results in Death of 77-Year-Old Storage Facility Employee
Marlborough, NH — A 77-year-old employee of Extra Space storage in Marlborough, New Hampshire died after a golf cart rollover and entrapment. Police found the man pinned underneath the cart, which was in neutral when it rolled down a steep embankment. The golf cart was equipped with seatbelts but they were not in use. The incident was witnessed by a nearby motel employee who called 911. Officials do not anticipate any criminal charges. The incident, which occurred on September 12, 2025, resulted in the employee being pinned underneath the cart, which was in neutral when it rolled down a steep embankment. The golf cart was equipped with seatbelts, but they were not in use. The incident was witnessed by a nearby motel employee who called 911.
Employee dies after experiencing medical emergency at Spring Hill GM plant
SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WSMV) – An employee died following a medical emergency at the General Motors manufacturing plant in Spring Hill on Monday. The company confirmed the incident to WSMV4. The employee was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Turlock Irrigation District employee reportedly drowned in Lake Don Pedro
TUOLUMNE COUNTY, Calif — A Turlock Irrigation District employee died Sunday while on duty at Lake Don Pedro in Tuolumne County, officials said. Mitchell Rogers, 62, reportedly went underwater around 11:30 a.m. in the Moccasin Point area while swimming a rope out to an unattended and drifting boat, according to Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Inv. Ashley Boujikian. The sheriff’s office dive team found and recovered Rogers’ body about two hours after the reported drowning, Boujikian said. The Turlock Irrigation District confirmed Monday that Rogers died while on the job.
1 Killed in Truck Accident on State Route 227 in Burdett, NY
Burdett, NY — September 12, 2025, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 6:40 p.m. on State Route 227. Authorities said a semi-truck with an overweight trailer overturned after negotiating a curve. The driver, whose name has not been made public yet, died after being flown to an area hospital, according to authorities. Authorities have not released any additional information about the Schuyler County crash at this time.
Houston Fire Department Announces Paramedic’s Line of Duty Death
Houston, TX — The Houston Fire Department is saddened to announce the loss of Firefighter Paramedic Stephen Scott, who passed away Wednesday following an on-duty medical emergency on Sunday. We ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for his family, our brothers and sisters at Station 102, and the department as a whole. “Firefighter Scott was a dedicated member of this team, and will be missed by the HFD family,” said Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz. “His legacy is one of hard work, honor and service to his community.”
46-year-old truck driver killed in rollover accident on I-30 in Arlington
Arlington, TX — A 46-year-old man was killed Tuesday evening when his flatbed truck crashed into a guardrail on Interstate 30 and rolled over, Arlington police said. Officers responded to the accident in the westbound lanes of I-30 near Fielder Road shortly after 7:30 p.m. The truck had veered off the road, struck a light pole and then hit a guardrail, according to police. The vehicle rolled down a hill and landed on its roof. Police said the driver was wearing a seat belt, but they believe he fell asleep at the wheel. The 46-year-old died at the scene. He’s been identified as Ted Godfrey, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office website.
Box truck driver killed in Long Beach after road rage crash
Long Beach, CA — A case of road rage between two drivers in Long Beach ended in a crash that killed a bystander and injured two others. The Long Beach Police Department said the deadly crash happened at about 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday near 7th Street and Margo Avenue. Police said their preliminary investigation determined that speed and reckless driving caused the deadly collision. Investigators said two cars, a Tesla Model 3 and a dark-colored Subaru, were weaving through traffic during an apparent road rage incident. The Tesla rear-ended a box truck that was carrying hazardous materials. The force of the crash sent the box truck through a brick wall and caused it to overturn. The collision killed the box truck driver and hospitalized two passengers. The Tesla driver was also hospitalized after the crash. Police said no hazardous materials were released.
Houston Police Officer Dies in Crash During Traffic Escort
Houston, TX — Senior Houston Police Officer Alex Roberts was killed Wednesday while providing a traffic escort in Anderson County. Roberts, who had been with the department since 2010, was struck by another vehicle as part of the agency’s Solo Motorcycle Detail. No details concerning the nature of the escort duty or the crash were released, and the incident is under investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The crash is under investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety, KHOU-TV reports.