How workers died last week: Trench collapse, pushed down the stairs, electrocution, heavy equipment, logging and tree care, railroad worker, helicopter crash, pinned beneath a trailer, vehicular collisions, and shootings. On average, almost 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.
Worker killed, 2 injured after wall collapses in Lanikai
HONOLULU, HI — A worker was killed and two others injured after a wall collapsed at a construction site in Lanikai Wednesday morning. Rescue crews were called to a home on Mokulua Drive at 8:56 a.m. The first unit arrived minutes later. According to the Honolulu Fire Department, a wall, approximately six-to-seven feet high, collapsed and buried a 58-year-old worker. Two workers, ages 34 and 39, were trapped under debris but rescued and treated for serious leg injuries and transported to the emergency room, according to Emergency Medical Services. The buried worker died at the scene despite efforts to revive him after pulling him out of the debris.
Security guard dies after being pushed down stairs at Hubbard Inn, police say
CHICAGO, IL — Charges were pending for someone who allegedly pushed a 35-year-old man down a flight of stairs early Monday during a fight at a River North restaurant, police said. The 35-year-old tried to intervene in the fight between a man and group of people that occurred around 1:20 a.m., at 110 W. Hubbard St., when another man pushed him down the stairs, Chicago police said. The man, identified as a security guard by a law enforcement source, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Officers who responded to a 911 call from the Hubbard Inn, arrested a 32-year-old man who allegedly pushed the victim. Hubbard Inn is owned by Carmen Rossi, a lobbyist, lawyer and city contractor who owns many bars and restaurants through his hospitality group, 8 Hospitality. He has had troubles with the city and his bars have come under scrutiny because of violence concerns in recent years.
Man, 37, dies in industrial accident at Kennecott
HERRIMAN, UT — A 37-year-old man is dead after an industrial accident Thursday at the Brigham Canyon Mine at Rio Tinto Kennecott. Preliminary information indicates the man, identified as Brian Cameli, was working on heavy equipment inside a maintenance shop when a large boom attached to the equipment gave out, fell and struck the man, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office said. Employees rendered first aid to Cameli until first responders arrived. Though crews attempted lifesaving measures, Cameli ultimately died at the scene. No other information was immediately available. The incident remains under investigation.
Town of Church Point Employee Dies in Workplace Accident
CHURCH POINT, LA — A Town of Church Point employee has died following a workplace accident at the town’s water department Thursday afternoon. According to the Church Point Police Department, officers were dispatched to the town’s water department facility around 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, in response to reports of an accident involving a town employee. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the worker deceased. Authorities say the worker died as a result of the accident. The cause of death is still under investigation and the victim has not yet been identified.
Huntington Woods DPW Worker Dies After Getting Pinned Under Tree
HUNTINGTON WOODS, MI — A Huntington Woods Department of Public Works worker died Friday night after being pinned under a tree limb after strong winds that swept through Metro Detroit. The City of Huntington Woods reports that DPW Supervisor Doug Chmiel, husband and father of three, was responding to emergency cleanup operations following the severe windstorm. While clearing the road for emergency vehicle access, he was struck by a falling limb, the city said in a statement. Emergency crews responded to the scene and transported him to Corewell Health William Beaumont Hospital, where he later died. “This is a profound loss for the entire Huntington Woods staff and community,” the city said in a statement. “Our employees are the foundation of our organization, and losing a colleague who was dedicated to their work and community is truly heartbreaking.” Chmiel, a veteran who served in the Army National Guard, leaves behind his wife Dawn and three children: Penelope, 12, Elinor, 9, and Griffin, 7. He is also survived by his parents Terry and Jacqui Chmiel.
Union Pacific worker killed in accident east of Tucson
TUCSON, AZ — A Union Pacific worker has died in an accident on the job near Tucson. Company spokesman Tim McMahan confirmed that James Morgan, who worked on engineering matters as a systems laborer, was fatally hurt Sunday in Vail. McMahan gave no further details. He called the situation tragic and said the company’s hearts were with Morgan’s family and friends. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a tweet that Morgan was struck by a rail tamper. A tamper is a machine used to pack the ballast or stone that forms the trackbed under railway tracks. The NTSB is investigating. However, no investigators have plans at this time to travel to the scene.
Dania Beach Tree Trimmer Killed After Power-Line Shock Near Griffin Road
DANIA BEACH, FL — A landscaper died Tuesday evening after being electrocuted while working on a tree in Dania Beach, according to officials. The incident happened just before 5:30 p.m. in the 4500 block of Southwest 32nd Avenue, just north of Griffin Road. Emergency crews pronounced the worker dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released the worker’s name or age.
Niagara County man dies following tree cutting accident
BUFFALO, NY — A man from Porter in Niagara County is dead after a tree cutting accident Monday afternoon, according to the Niagara County Sheriff’s office. Police received a call around 3:20 p.m. about a 59-year-old man who had been “seriously injured while cutting a tree” on Lake Road. EMS arrived and provided aid, but the man succumbed to his injuries, officials said. The man was identified as Michael S. Mort, of Lewiston. An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
Eastpointe car hauler fatality listed as Michigan’s 5th workplace death of 2026
EASTPOINTE, MI — The fatal accident involving a car hauler March 4 in Eastpointe, Michigan, has been recorded as the state’s fifth workplace-related death during 2026. The victim, a 55-year-old man from Missouri, was unloading a vehicle from the car hauler about 5:40 p.m. that day on Gratiot Avenue near 10 Mile Road, Eastpointe police said at the time. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also known as MIOSHA, said in its report that a vehicle door inadvertently struck the hydraulic control level for the vehicle’s upper platform. The upper platform rose, trapping the man. By the time first responders arrived, he had already died from the injuries. The victim was a business owner, according to the state report.
Waterbury Truck Driver Killed In MA Head-On Collision
OTIS, MA — A truck driver from Waterbury was killed in a head-on crash Thursday in Massachusetts. Antonio Marcucci, 32, of Waterbury, has been identified as the victim who died in the two-vehicle accident. Otis police arrived and found two tractor trailers, one in the northbound lane with Connecticut plates, and one in the southbound lane with Oklahoma plates, lodged in a snowbank. Police began providing aid to Marcucci, who was pinned inside the cab of his tractor trailer. Otis emergency medical service personnel rushed Marcucci to Baystate Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to a news release. The driver of the Oklahoma truck did not sustain serious injuries. An investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Idaho man identified in deadly helicopter crash near Mojave
MOJAVE, CA — A 62-year-old Idaho man has been identified as the person killed in a helicopter crash near Mojave earlier this week. The Kern County Coroner says the victim was Steven Madewell, who died at the scene of the crash on March 9. The crash occurred in an open field near Oak Creek Road and 70th Street West near Mojave. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the National Transportation Safety Board are continuing the investigation. The helicopter was laying powerlines before it crashed, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Tow truck tech killed on I-165 in Owensboro; driver charged with manslaughter
EVANSVILLE, IN — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials say Interstate 165 southbound is back open after a fatal crash took place at U.S. 60 in Owensboro on Wednesday morning. According to a press release, dispatch received a report of an injury accident in the southbound lanes of the 6020 block of Interstate 165 near the Daviess/Ohio County line. Officials say the initial report was that a vehicle hit a pedestrian and left the scene. The initial investigation indicates that at the time of the wreck, a towing and wrecker service technician was out of his truck assisting a disabled semi on the shoulder of the roadway when he was hit by a passing southbound semi-truck. They say in addition to hitting and killing the technician, the semi had also sideswiped both the wrecker and the broken down semi causing moderate damage to both. Deputies requested area law enforcement to look for the semi that had left the scene. OCSO deputies and Hartford Police Department officers detained the driver and secured his vehicle for evidence reasons. The driver of the semi that left the scene has been identified as 31-year-old Suk Subba. The victim has not yet been identified.
‘Heroic protector’: Army officer killed in Old Dominion shooting remembered as family man, leader
NORFOLK, VA — An Army lieutenant colonel who was shot and killed at Old Dominion University on Thursday is being remembered as a true hero and protector. Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, 42, was a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps instructor. He was shot and killed Thursday when a gunman opened fire at the Virginia college. Two others were wounded. Federal investigators say Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the Virginia Army National Guard, killed Shah and injured two other people before ROTC students subdued and killed him. Shah was a professor of military science at Old Dominion University.
Laredo truck driver killed in workplace accident at AEP Texas facility in Kingsville
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — A 63-year-old truck driver from Laredo died Friday morning after becoming pinned beneath a trailer at an AEP Texas facility in Kingsville, according to police. When responders arrived, they found a man dead at the scene. Police said the death was the result of a workplace accident. Investigators identified the man as Cervelio Garcia Guzman, 63, of Laredo. According Kingsville PD, Garcia Guzman had just delivered equipment to the facility in a tractor-trailer and was preparing the trailer to leave the yard when he became pinned underneath it. An AEP employee discovered Garcia Guzman about five minutes later, according to Kingsville PD. Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Judge Gonzalez ordered an autopsy.
Milwaukee police officer fatally shoots tow truck driver while clinging to vehicle during pursuit
MILWAUKEE, WI — A Milwaukee police officer fatally shot a tow truck driver Thursday, while clinging to the vehicle during a pursuit near 15th and Grant. According to Chief Jeffrey Norman, officers attempted to stop the suspect, a 35-year-old man wanted for a parole violation, near 12th and Burnham. He was identified by family members as Jonathan Otto. The officer approached Otto and ordered him to exit the truck, according to MPD, but he refused, driving off at a high rate of speed. “The tow truck was going every fast. And the squad car was putting lights on and slowing down just in case anyone passed the stop and he went after it,” said witness Ana Rios. The officer clung to the truck for several blocks, according to Chief Norman, giving several commands to stop the vehicle and informing the suspect he would be shot if he did not stop. Chief Norman said Otto refused commands, and the officer fired his gun, fatally shooting Otto. Police say a passenger in the tow truck was not injured but taken to an area hospital as a precaution.
Man and two horses killed when truck overturns in Meredith, Victoria
VICTORIA, NH — A man and two horses have been killed when a truck overturned in Victoria’s west. The horse transport truck rolled onto its roof and went over an embankment at a tight bend on Slate Quarry Rd in Meredith, 46km northwest of Geelong, about 8am on Monday. Emergency services crews attempted to treat the driver at the scene but he could not be saved.
Trucker dead after crash on I-75 in Georgia
MACON, GA — One person is dead after a Monday night crash on Interstate 75, according to Bibb County, Ga. Deputy Coroner, reported by WMAZ television news in Georgia. That person was the driver of a semi truck who reportedly veered off of I-75 south. Bibb County Deputy Coroner Richard Robinson said the driver died after his big rig veered off of I-75 South between the Arkwright Road exit and Riverside Drive exit in North Macon on Monday and rolled down an embankment. The crash happened around 8:00 p.m., according to the Georgia Department of Transportation’s 511 site. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the crash.
Trucker killed in four-vehicle crash in Arkansas
PULASKI COUNTY, AR — A semi truck driver is dead after a four-car collision on Interstate 40 in Arkansas last week. According to an Arkansas State Police (ASP) fatal crash summary, at around 10 p.m. last Wednesday, Eduardo Rangel Cavazos was driving a 2021 Kenworth, and approached traffic that was stationary due to a previous collision and hit the rear of a 2019 Freightliner which caused a chain reaction to where two more vehicles were struck. The crash killed Cavazos. There is no word on the injuries to drivers or passengers of the other three vehicles.
Dump truck driver killed in fiery crash on New Jersey Turnpike
WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A dump truck driver was killed Tuesday morning after his vehicle crashed into two tractor-trailers and caught fire on the New Jersey Turnpike in Woodbridge, authorities said. The crash occurred around 10 a.m. on the northbound outer roadway near milepost 92.6, according to the New Jersey State Police. Investigators said a Kenworth dump truck driven by 34-year-old Maximo Polanco, of Ridgefield was traveling north near the Grover Cleveland rest area when it struck the rear of a parked International tractor-trailer on the right shoulder. The impact pushed the International into the rear of a Freightliner parked in front of it. After the collision, the Kenworth and the International became fully engulfed in flames, police said. Polanco suffered fatal injuries. The drivers of the other vehicles sustained minor injuries and were taken to a hospital.
Official dies after emergency vehicles crash in Tarrant County racetrack
KENNEDALE, TX — One person died while responding to an incident during a sprint car race at Kennedale Speedway Park, race officials said. Officials were responding to an incident at the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Saturday night at the Kennedale Speedway Park, the organization said in a social media post. Two emergency vehicles collided, killing one person and seriously injuring another, the organizers said. “They were going pretty quick. I don’t know how fast they were going but fast enough for where both vehicles flipped over multiple times,” said Tyler Patrick. A man who was in the stands Saturday when the crash happened. Sprint car racing involves open-wheel race cars running on short oval or circular tracks. The incident is under investigation, and the remainder of the event is postponed, officials said. “I’ve been to hundreds and hundreds of dirt track races, I’ve seen really bad injuries, never a fatality, especially not a track crew worker,” said Patrick.
Trucker’s death ruled a suicide by Police Chief after body found inside parked semi truck
Jefferson County, TX — A trucker’s death has been ruled a suicide after his body was discovered inside of a semi truck parked at a Love’s after several days. The body was found inside of a parked tractor trailer at the Love’s Travel Stop in Jefferson County in Southeast Texas on Tuesday afternoon, March 10th. According to Fox4Beaumont, deputies were called to the Love’s on Smith Road off of Interstate 10 after someone discovered the body inside of the rig. During the initial investigation, officers were unsure if the body was the driver of the truck, but fingerprints were used to identify the man as a 42-year-old truck driver from Amarillo. An autopsy has been ordered, but Police Chief Donta Miller says that the death is being considered a suicide. The truck had been parked at the Love’s since Friday, March 6th.