How workers died last week: Skid steer, electrocution, fire, assault, shootings and 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. Why We Write The Weekly Toll.
Woman, 26, electrocuted at her workplace in Butler County
PETROLIA BOROUGH, Pa. — A 26-year-old woman, Victoria Zachrich, 26, of Hadley, was killed in a workplace accident in Butler County on Saturday. State Police said that the woman from Mercer County was electrocuted while working at her job site along Nesbit Avenue in Petrolia Borough. Medics arrived on scene and attempted life-saving measures on the victim. Zachrich was then taken to Butler Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Man, 67, killed in skid steer accident in central Minnesota
New London, MN — A man was killed in a skid steer accident in central Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office says the accident was reported around 2:40 p.m. in New London, where a 67-year-old local man was trapped by the construction vehicle. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 67-year-old Randall Lipinski of New London. Details of how he became trapped have not been provided as of Monday morning.
Workplace death in Wauconda under investigation
Wauconda, IL — Authorities are investigating the death of a 37-year-old man who was crushed beneath a vehicle Tuesday in Wauconda. Rescue personnel were called about 8:52 a.m. to a report of a person trapped beneath a passenger vehicle at Hard Times General Repair, 398 W. Liberty St., Unit D. First responders found the man pinned under the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was lifted and the man pronounced dead at the scene. According to Wauconda police, the vehicle was about 5 feet in the air when the rear end came off the lift while the man was beneath. He was unable to escape before the front end also came off the lift, crushing him, police said. Authorities identified the man as Matthew Pfister of North Chicago. An autopsy conducted Wednesday determined Pfister died from blunt-force injuries, the Lake County Coroner’s Office said.
OSHA investigating death of 53-year-old Seattle barge worker
Seattle, WA — Federal officials are investigating the death of a 53-year-old man Saturday on the Duwamish River in Seattle after a scissor lift he was working on tipped over, causing him to fall 50 feet onto a barge before the equipment landed on him. The King County medical examiner determined Francisco Rodriguez Aquinaga died from head injuries caused at the worksite accident in the 600 block of South Riverside Drive in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood, records show. Seattle firefighters who responded shortly after 1:30 p.m. Saturday found Rodriguez Aquinaga on the floor of the barge next to an almost fully-extended 26-foot lift that was tipped on its side. Another barge worker who witnessed the fall told police Rodriguez Aquinaga was working on welding a beam from the platform of the scissor lift, a form of scaffolding, when the equipment tipped over. He told police he did not believe Rodriguez Aquinaga was “strapped in” to the lift, and said the 53-year-old appeared to try jumping away from the equipment as it fell, according to the police report.
Employee dies in fire at a firework facility in Polk County
Buffalo, MO — One person was pronounced dead after a Wednesday incident in Polk County. The Missouri Division of Fire Safety investigated an early morning fire at AM Pyrotechnics in Buffalo, Mo. The fire at the fireworks facility was first reported at approximately 9:43 a.m. On Wednesday evening, officials confirmed that one employee at the business died in the fire.
Person dies after being trapped under backhoe in Arcadia
ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) — A person died in Arcadia on Friday afternoon after becoming trapped under a backhoe. First responders were called to a home on East Magnis Street around 2 p.m. They managed to free the victim, but said they were unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. AIR7 video shows a large piece of construction equipment on its side in the backyard of the home. Cal/OSHA and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the incident.
Worker dies after being struck by pickup truck on I-526 near Westmoreland Bridge
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A person has died after being hit by a vehicle while in a work zone on I-526 near the Westmoreland Bridge on Monday night, according to Charleston Police. Police said a pickup truck was traveling east on the interstate shortly before 10 p.m. when it hit a worker’s hand and then struck a second worker. The second worker sustained serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where they later died. The Charleston County Coroner’s Office has not yet identified the victim.
18-year-old set to join Marines killed trying to break up fight at Burger King, authorities say
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WJXT) – An 18-year-old fast-food worker in Florida was killed on the job Saturday. Police say he was trying to stop a fight inside a Burger King when gunfire erupted. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the suspected gunman, Dawud Burritt, walked into the restaurant and got into an argument with another man, Ray Cummings. That argument escalated into a physical fight and the Burger King worker, Matthew Jackson, tried to step in and break it up. But that’s when Burritt pulled out a gun, causing everyone to run, police said. Witnesses reported hearing two shots and then seeing Burritt run out of the restaurant. Investigators say Jackson was found dead inside the Burger King, with Cummings also located and taken to an area hospital.
Truck Driver Killed in Early Morning Crash on I-59 in Forrest County
Forrest County, MS — The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal early morning crash on Interstate 59 that claimed the life of a Texas truck driver. The crash happened Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at approximately 4:36 a.m. According to MHP, a 2021 International semi-truck driven by 64-year-old Daniel Johnson, of Texarkana, Texas, was traveling north on I-59 in Forrest County when it crossed the median and overturned in the southbound lanes. Johnson sustained fatal injuries in the crash and died at the scene.
Louisiana truck driver killed when vehicle runs off I-65, crosses highway in south Alabama
Baldwin County, AL — A Louisiana man is dead after single-vehicle crash on Wednesday in south Alabama. According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, a crash occurred at about 4:23 p.m. in Baldwin County on Interstate 65 involving a 2020 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer. The vehicle, driven by Timothy Tate, 52, left the road and struck several trees but continued to cross a highway before striking another set of trees. Tate, from Hammond, Louisiana, was pronounced dead at the scene.
City transportation worker dies after being fatally assaulted over parking spot
BALTIMORE, MD — A Department of Transportation worker has died after being assaulted by a woman and her teenage daughter over a parking spot. Gregory Turnipseed, a 14-year veteran with the department, died about a month after sustaining significant injuries from the assault. The woman accused of the assault is 49-year-old Kiannah Bonaparte and at the time of this writing, she’s been charged with first-and second-degree assault. Charging documents say this stems from an incident on October 17, when Turnipseed was walking in the 500 block of St. Paul Street when he noticed a car waiting for another car to pull out of a parking space. When he approached the parked car, a 15-year-old passenger got out of the car and began punching him in the face. Turnipseed tried to restrain the girl, but the driver — believed to be the teen’s mother and later identified as Bonaparte — got out and jumped on his back, causing him to fall. Charging documents say Bonaparte allegedly kicked him in the head multiple times.
Former FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches — who lost firefighter son in 9/11 — dies of WTC-related illness
New York, NY — A highly revered New York City firefighter, who rushed to the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks — where his hero son perished — and then spent months aiding with recovery efforts, died on Thanksgiving Day. Retired Deputy Chief James “Jim” Riches Sr., who served in the department for 30 years, died at 74 on Thursday from a 9/11-related illness resulting from the tragedy in Lower Manhattan, the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York posted on social media. “Throughout his distinguished career, Deputy Chief Riches exemplified the highest traditions of our department,” the nonprofit advocacy organization wrote. The devoted smoke eater, who lived in Brooklyn with his wife, Rita, had four children, including three active FDNY members. His eldest son, Jimmy Jr., was killed while responding with Engine 4 in the North Tower on 9/11. Riches spent roughly nine months at Ground Zero, hunting through the rubble for his son and recovering countless bodies and partial remains of both civilians and uniformed service members. He eventually found his son’s body on March 5, 2002, he recalled in a 2019 Op-Ed published in The Post. “We got to bury him,” Riches wrote.
Oswego County highway worker dies while responding to road hazard
SCHROEPPEL, NY — An Oswego County Highway Department worker died Friday morning while checking on a report of a tree branch partially blocking a road in southern Oswego County. Peter Caufield, 54, responded at about 4:15 a.m. to County Route 57 in the town of Schroeppel, between the village of Phoenix and Three Rivers Bridge, Highway Superintendent Shawn Walker said. The highway department had received a call about a tree branch that was partially blocking traffic in the area. Caufield drove alone to check out the possible traffic hazard, Walker said. When he arrived, Caufield walked around and fell down between the guardrail and his pickup truck. Walker said a passerby stopped and called 911, staying with Caufield until help arrived. Lt. Andrew Bucher, a spokesman for the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies responded to the scene and are investigating, though they believe a “medical event” caused Caufield’s death.
Gov. Evers orders flags at half-staff to honor nurse who died after Madison crash
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered flags to fly at half-staff Wednesday in Wisconsin to honor a registered nurse who died in a crash last week. Tricia Ploessl worked as a nurse clinician at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Central Wisconsin facility. Madison Police Department stated a woman hit the gas too quickly in a parking lot around 10:30 p.m. on Friday in the 300 block of Knutson Drive and hit a 45-year-old woman getting into a parked car. Officials took both women to the hospital, MPD explained. Dane Co. officials said the 45-year-old woman, later identified as Ploessl, died from her injuries the next day.
Semi-truck driver killed, man injured after I-40 crash near Briley Parkway
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A semi-truck driver died, and another man was injured after a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 on Sunday afternoon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. MNPD said the crash happened on I-40 West and Briley Parkway around noon. The preliminary investigation and video evidence showed that the driver of a Toyota Corolla failed to negotiate a turn while entering I-40 West from the Briley Parkway exit ramp and drove into the side of a semi-truck. A 65-year-old semi driver from California reportedly died in the crash on I-40 West. The collision caused the truck to overturn while the Corolla continued off the roadway and into a ravine. The driver of the semi-truck, identified as 65-year-old Aniceto Trujillo, of Denair, California, died at the scene.
East Alabama man identified as truck driver killed on I-59/20 in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama– An east Alabama truck driver was killed when his tractor-trailer gas tanker overturned on a Birmingham interstate. Damon Wayne Kabetzke, 47, was pronounced dead on the scene at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. He lived in Wedowee. The wreck happened at 2:45 p.m. on Interstate 59/20 southbound at Interstate 65. No other vehicles were involved. No gas leaked from the 18-wheeler tanker truck, which was empty at the time of the crash, said Birmingham Fire and Rescue Capt. Orlando Reynolds. The wreck, which shut down the interstate for hours, remains under investigation by Birmingham police.