How workers died last week: crushed, falls, loader, construction, burst pipes, factory fires, shootings, vehicle incidents, cancer, . 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.
OSHA investigating employee’s death at Waukesha Iron & Metal, second employee death since 2015
WAUKESHA, WI — Waukesha police are investigating a fatal industrial accident at a business on E. Main Street Monday, Feb. 9. Officials say one person was pronounced dead at the scene. Family identified the man killed while working as 65-year-old Joel “Homer” Jundt. His longtime partner tells us he worked as a truck driver at the company for nearly 40 years. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) confirms they’ve opened an investigation at the facility. They have six months to complete it. The company was previously cited for a worker’s death in 2015. At the time, OSHA cited them for 11 safety violations, proposing $42,000 in fines. Waukesha Iron & Metal says they are cooperating fully with the investigation.
Investigation underway into deadly industrial accident in Georgia
ELBERTON, GA — Several law enforcement agencies are investigating the death of a woman in Elberton on Monday. According to the Elbert County Coroner’s Office, 25-year-old Maria Manuela Molina Chavez, of Tucker, Georgia, was killed in an industrial accident. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner’s office said the accident happened around 12:51 p.m. on Bowman Highway in Elberton. The deputy coroner said Chavez was contracted to repair equipment at a granite manufacturing plant at the time of the accident. The incident is being investigated by the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office, coroner’s office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Medical Examiner’s Office, according to the coroner’s office.
Contract employee dies after episode at Alabama auto plant
LINCOLN, AL — A contract worker died after requiring medical attention at Honda’s automotive plant in Lincoln. According to the company, the incident happened on Monday, Feb. 2. “On-site medical personnel and local emergency teams responded to the scene immediately and provided emergency assistance before the individual was transported to a nearby medical facility where he later passed away,” the company announced.
Worker killed in heavy equipment accident in Flint area
GENESEE TOWNSHIP, MI — A 53-year-old laborer died in a heavy equipment accident Friday in Genesee Township. The Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration says the victim was part of a crew working at an undisclosed location to disassemble an excavator so they could reinstall a pin. Authorities say two employees were in the bucket of the machine attempting to put the pin back on the excavator’s arm. The operator of the excavator started the machine, which caused its arm and cab to rotate and pin the victim. An ambulance rushed the worker to an area hospital, where they were pronounced dead. MIOSHA will continue investigating the accident. The company may face fines if state regulators find any worker health or safety failures are discovered during the investigation. The victim was the second reported workplace death in Michigan this year.
Missing worker’s body recovered after fire, reported explosion at Koch Foods
FAIRFIELD, OH — Crews recovered the body of a missing worker after a large fire and reported explosion at Koch Foods over the weekend, according to a Fairfield fire official. “The worker’s body was recovered Sunday afternoon in an area with heavy fire damage and nearby partial collapse,” Deputy Fire Chief Steve Conn told FOX19 NOW early Monday. The name and age of the worker, a man, won’t be released until the Butler County Coroner’s Office alerts his family.
Security guard killed in shooting at illegal game room, Houston police say
HOUSTON, TX — Houston police are investigating a deadly shooting at what they say was an illegal game room on the city’s southwest side. According to the Houston Police Department, a security guard was shot and killed during an armed robbery just after 9 p.m. at a location off Bissonnet Street. When officers arrived, they found the security guard suffering from a gunshot wound. Houston Fire responded to the scene and pronounced him dead. Police said the business was operating as an illegal game room at the time of the shooting. By the time officers arrived, the location was mostly empty, but investigators believe there may have been more people inside who fled before police got there. Police said they do not yet have a suspect description and are still working to determine how many suspects may have been involved. Homicide detectives are now leading the investigation and are reviewing surveillance video from the game room as they work to piece together what happened.
Coroner IDs worker killed while repairing water main leak at Lancaster County business
LANCASTER, PA — The Lancaster County coroner has identified a worker who died in a construction incident on Wednesday. Officials said it happened in the 1300 block of Arcadia Road in Lancaster City around 10 a.m. According to the coroner, Mason Nickel, 23, of Wrightsville, was repairing a water main leak using excavating equipment. Nickel was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was notified to investigate the incident. A representative said they have six months to complete the investigation.
Truck driver killed in crash on I-65 in northwestern Indiana
WHITE COUNTY, IN — A truck driver was killed in a single-vehicle highway crash Tuesday night in northwestern Indiana. According to Indiana State Police, shortly after 10 p.m. on Feb. 10, troopers were called to a single-vehicle rollover crash on Interstate 65 near the 193-mile marker, which is near the U.S. 231 exit just south of Wolcott in White County. According to a preliminary investigation, a yellow 2006 GMC 3500 Savana box truck was driving southbound on I-65 when it left the roadway and entered the median. Police say the driver reportedly overcorrected, which caused the tuck to roll over onto its side and cross both lanes. The truck reportedly came to rest on the right shoulder and caught fire, trapping its driver inside. The White County Coroner’s Office pronounced the driver dead at the scene. Police say next-of-kin notification has been made, but the identity of the driver has not yet been released by the coroner’s office.
Investigation underway after contractor dies at Samsung plant in Taylor
TAYLOR, TX — An investigation is underway after a third-party contractor died Wednesday at Samsung’s semiconductor plant in Taylor. Samsung Electronics officials said site and emergency responders arrived at the scene and took action. The company said it and its on-site partners are “cooperating fully with local authorities and regulatory agencies” and will conduct a thorough investigation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on Thursday that it had launched an investigation into the death. It’s unclear how the incident happened at this time. The victim’s identity has not been released.
Worker dies while repairing North Texas water main break, city says
FRISCO, TX — A worker died in Frisco after a water line pipe suddenly ruptured and filled the access well with water, the city said in a statement. Officials found that contractors with a private construction crew were working on a main water line when it suddenly ruptured, filling the access well and safety box with water, the city said. Two contractors were inside the box; one was able to escape, but the other was later found deceased, the release states. OSHA and other safety authorities are investigating the incident, the city said. The city did not release the name of the construction crew the victim was working for, but confirmed they were not working on a city of Frisco project, the city said.
Worker dies at Buckeye construction site
BUCKEYE, AZ — A worker died on a construction site in Buckeye on Feb. 11 after being hit by a loader, Buckeye police said. Buckeye police have released few details so far, saying the site was at Maricopa County 85 (MC 85) and Miller Road. A worker operating the loader “hit and killed another worker,” a man in his 50s, Carissa Planalp, spokesperson for Buckeye police, said in a written statement. The man was later revealed to be 52-year-old Luis Valdez.
Kirbyville man dies, 4 others hospitalized after fire at Oklahoma Valero refinery on Monday
BEAUMONT, TX — A fire at the Valero refinery in northeast Ardmore, Oklahoma, on Monday afternoon sent five people to the hospital, including a Kirbyville youth football coach who sustained severe burn injuries and passed away, according to company officials and community sources. Black smoke was visible rising from the facility late Monday, KTEN reported. Valero confirmed in an official statement that the fire was extinguished and five people were taken to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. The company did not provide details about the extent of their injuries. Among those injured was Jesse Cole Biscamp, of Kirbyville, according to a GoFundMe page created by his aunt. Biscamp was severely injured and was airlifted to a burn unit hospital in Plano, his aunt wrote on the GoFundMe. His family has confirmed on social media that he has passed away. Biscamp was a volunteer coach with the Kirbyville Youth Football Association.
Mark Kmetz Killed In Turnpike Crash: NJSP
SECAUCUS, NJ — 61-year-old man who was working construction on the New Jersey Turnpike in Secaucus was killed after being hit by a car in a chain reaction crash on Wednesday, Feb. 11, authorities said. At 8:54 a.m., troopers responded to the Turnpike after a Mercedes Benz impacted the back of a Freightliner, causing the Mercedes Benz to veer off the roadway to the right and enter a construction zone on the right shoulder, Jeffrey Lebron, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police said. Within the construction zone were a parked Ford pickup truck, a parked GMC box truck, and two pedestrians, Lebron said. The Mercedes-Benz impacted the back of the Ford, causing the Ford to strike a pedestrian, a 68-year-old Clifton resident and a guardrail, Lebron said. The Mercedes-Benz then struck the back of the GMC and Mark Kmetz, a Hillsborough resident. As a result of the crash, Kmetz was pronounced dead at the scene and the Clifton resident sustained moderate injuries, Lebron said. Tributes poured in for Kmetz after his passing. The driver of the Mercedes-Benz sustained minor injuries, Lebron said. The crash remains under investigation, Lebron said.
‘The world was robbed of a great human’: Friends say postal worker shot, killed on the job
DEKALB COUNTY, GA — Friends of a man who was shot in DeKalb County on Thursday said he worked for the U.S. Postal Service and was killed on the job. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office said 31-year-old Dequavious Graves died from his injuries. According to his friends, Graves loved working for USPS as a postal worker. They said he also worked as a music producer. They described him as a model citizen, an artistic genius, and a great friend. DeKalb County Police said it’s investigating what happened, but said that additional information would need to come from the United States Postal Inspection Service, because they are also investigating.
Driver identified in Alabama single-truck fatality
DALE COUNTY, AL — Officials in Alabama have confirmed the identity of a trucker that was killed on Thursday morning. According to a report from Wiregrass Daily News, the Dale County Coroner John Cawley has identified a man who died in an accident on U.S. 231 north in Dale County Thursday morning. The Sebastian, Florida native has been identified as Evelio DeJesus, 58. DeJesus was involved in a single-vehicle crash in his commercial truck early Thursday morning which shut down both northbound lanes of U.S. 231 near the 48 mile marker in Dale County. The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Officials said the truck was carrying iron oxide, which spilled around the crash site. Authorities confirmed the material was not considered hazardous.
Construction worker killed in Corinth accident
CORINTH, MS — A construction worker died in a workplace accident in Corinth. Alcorn County Coroner Jay Jones confirmed the identity of the victim as Conner Dabbs, 20, of Smithville. The accident happened on Thursday afternoon on Polk Street, where he was working on a bridge project. He worked for Cook & Son Construction in Smithville.
Door County farm accident victim identified
DOOR COUNTY, WI — Authorities have identified the man killed in a farm accident Thursday. Door County sheriff’s officials say the victim was Wilson Duarte Martinez, 50, of Forestville. An autopsy was conducted on Friday, with the results pending. Preliminary investigation indicates a large bale grabber attachment became disconnected from a front-end loader and fell onto Martinez. He was found around 3:30 p.m. at a farm on Old Elm Road in Forestville. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Victim identified in fatal Transylvania County landfill accident
BREVARD, NC — The victim in the Feb. 10 fatal accident at the Transylvania County Landfill has been identified, according to the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 11 news release that the victim was Dearrius Weston, 21, of Arkansas. “The preliminary investigation indicates that Mr. Weston was pinned to the ground by a large piece of equipment,” the Sheriff’s Office said in the release. After Weston was freed, emergency personnel immediately initiated life-saving measures, but despite those efforts, Weston was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two men shot in head during fights in NYC: NYPD
QUEENS, NY — A worker at a Queens laundromat was shot in the head “over free soap” on Saturday, just hours after another man was shot in the head in Brooklyn, police and sources said. The 31-year-old employee of Wash And Fold Super Laundry on North Conduit Avenue in Springfield Gardens got into a fight with a customer and then went outside around 8:30 a.m., police said. The gunman followed him and shot him in the back of the head, police said. The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition but eventually succumbed to his injury.
Worker dies after possible fall from tree truck in Tolland
TOLLAND, CT (WFSB) — State police said a worker “possibly fell” from a tree truck and died on Friday in Tolland. According to police, LifeStar was called and brought the victim to the hospital where they later died. Officials confirmed there was no criminal element to this death. The victim has not been identified. No further information was released.
Perdue driver identified, truck recovered following fatal Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel crash
CAPE CHARLES, VA — A truck driver for Perdue Farms has died in a crash at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Sunday morning — a crash that sent the tractor-trailer careening over the guardrails into the icy water below. Officials with the CBBT shared Sunday evening that the driver has been identified as 61-year-old Ronnie Andrews of Robersonville, N.C. The cause of the crash is under investigation, CBBT officials said, adding that weather was not a factor given low winds, no rain, and “fair visibility.” According to reporting from the Virginian-Pilot in April 2021, there had been 16 over-the-side crashes on the CBBT. With the 2023 incident and Sunday’s, that makes 18. Portsmouth-based Crofton Industries recovered the vehicle and the Andrews’ body Sunday evening.
Veteran Mount Pleasant Firefighter Dies On Duty, Stuns South Shore Crews
MOUNT PLEASANT, WI — A veteran South Shore Fire Department firefighter and EMT died suddenly while on duty yesterday, a loss that has rattled firehouses across Racine County. Officials said Robert Berens, a 26-year member of the Mount Pleasant-based department, passed unexpectedly while working his shift.