Sunday, December 30, 2007

Weekly Toll: Death In The American Workplace

Victim Identified in Truck Fire Fatality

TX - Authorities are releasing the name of a Houston truck driver killed when he crashed into a tree at a Beaumont park and was unable to get out of the burning cab. Police identify the victim as 42 year old Sammy Caldwell. The Houston truck driver was carrying a load of steel pipes and heading east on Interstate Ten near the 7th Street exit when he lost control of his truck at about 12:30 a.m. Monday. The man's 18 wheeler slammed into pine trees at the Ida Reed Park and began burning. When officers arrived the man was still trying to get out of the cab, but there was another, smaller explosion and flames filled the cab. The accident forced police to close the service road until about 7 p.m. Monday. Police say the fatal accident and the house fire earlier Monday illustrate the need for the city to increase manpower. "With what happened this morning and just now, we need to increase manpower," Officer Crystal Holmes told KFDM News. "It's all in a day's work, but the police department and the firefighters have staffing issues that need to be addressed."


Charter worker hit, killed by car

ROSCOE, WI - A Charter Communications employee working on foot near his utility truck was fatally struck by a vehicle early Tuesday in northern Illinois, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office said. Clinton Shaw, 34, of Stoughton, Wis., died about 3:50 a.m. Tuesday when Jennifer Ashley Downs, 20, of Loves Park, Ill., hit the worker with her Oldsmobile Alero on Gleasman Road east of Old River Road, the sheriff's department said. Downs was on probation for driving under the influence, and the Winnebago County State's Attorney's Office authorized a charge of probation violation. She is being held at the Winnebago County Jail on a $100,000 bond. The state's attorney's office is investigating the accident.


Family mourns loss of man killed in collapse of trench

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV - Andrew J.E. Robinson, 39, of Falling Waters, is survived by his wife and children. The family of a 39-year-old Falling Waters man who died Monday after being injured during a trench collapse near Shepherdstown are mourning the loss of a man they described as a person who would do anything for anyone. “He was the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back,” Andrew J.E. Robinson II’s wife, Vicky Willet Robinson, said Wednesday. “My heart’s broken. I feel like I’ve lost my best friend. Not only my husband, but my best friend.” Robinson, who worked for Barrett’s Excavation and Hauling Co. in Hedgesville, was injured about 10 a.m. Monday at a worksite near the Cress Creek subdivision off Shepherd Grade Road. Robinson was installing a sewer line when the trench collapsed. He was initially transported to City Hospital in Martinsburg but later taken to INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Virginia where he succumbed to his injuries. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen and was accidental, according to Catherine Bailey, a spokesperson for the office of the chief medical examiner in Fairfax, Va.


Clerk murdered despite state's tough regulations

NM - Jo Ann Brady and her sister were working just a few miles apart at Allsup's stores in Lovington, N.M., when Brady got a chilling call from her niece. "I'm going to check on Mom," the young woman said. "I heard that there's been somebody shot." Virginia Land known to her family as Juanita, her middle name had been gunned down during an apparent robbery attempt. A capable, hard-working woman who Brady said was devoted to the daughter and grandchildren who lived with her, Land apparently was the first clerk to be killed since the state adopted tougher regulations three years ago to make convenience stores safer. Police in the small city on the state's southeastern edge say two teenagers walked in just after 9 p.m. on Nov. 5, motioned a female customer to the back of the store, then confronted Land. "I think there was a demand for money, it was refused, and he shot her once in the upper torso. ... It was like, 'Give me your money.' 'No.' Boom," said Lovington's deputy police chief, Pete Farmer.


Police: Prison worker kills coworker, shoots self in head

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Police say a Michigan corrections officer shot a co-worker to death after an argument a suburban Detroit gas station. They say the suspect then drove to a Detroit park and shot himself in the head. Corrections Department spokesman Russ Marlan says the victim stopped at the station Wednesday morning after ending his shift at the nearby Scott Correctional Facility for women in Wayne County's Plymouth Township. Marlan says it's unclear why the two men fought. The suspect's condition isn't known. The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press identify the victim as 39-year-old Joseph Candie, an overnight shift commander and a 14-year prisons employee.


Man killed in Panama owned SLO Web firm

CA - A multimillionaire by age 30, Michael Klein was passionate about business — and surfing. The Santa Barbara man who died in a plane crash in Panama last weekend was the owner of a San Luis Obispo-based Web consulting business. Michael B. Klein, 37, had served as a principal investor in Web Associates since the late 1990s and bought out the company in December 2006 from about 80 shareholders, said Tom Adamski, company president and chief executive officer


Local farmer killed in tractor accident

LENOX TOWNSHIP, OH — George W. Ewing was a prominent figure in the Ashtabula County agricultural industry. A tragic accident claimed the life of a prominent farmer within the Ashtabula County agricultural industry Saturday afternoon. George W. Ewing, 88, was killed after he slipped off of his tractor while climbing onto it at his farm on East Union Street. Ashtabula County Coroner's Office Chief Investigator Rich Mongell said, Ewing had just finished emptying a manure trailer when he got off the tractor. “It appears he was climbing onto the tractor, he slipped and the tractor ran over him,” he said. Ewing had cleaned out his barn earlier Saturday morning and had been making trips into the field to dump manure, said Richard Lyness, a close family friend. When he slipped on the tractor, Ewing apparently grabbed the lever that engages the tractor, causing it to move forward. The tractor went over his legs and the trailer went over the rest of his body, Lyness said.


Driver killed in collision with two semis identified

FL - The driver of a box truck that who was killed early Dec. 11 in a wreck with two semi-trailers was identified by the Florida Highway Patrol in a press release Thursday. James Brunson, 41, of Fort Myers died at the scene. He was driving for Prologix Distributors in a 2004 Ford box truck owned by the company. It was not known if he was wearing a seat belt. The wreck shuttered Interstate 75 around Daniels Parkway through the morning rush hour. The southbound lanes were closed for almost eight hours as metal pieces and magazines were strewn in every direction. FHP investigators said the crash happened on the southbound side just north of Daniels about 5:14 a.m. when Frederick Florence, the 41-year-old driver of a truck pulling a flatbed trailer, noticed his wheels were locked and hit his brakes. The box truck behind him plowed into a crane boom sitting on the flatbed trailer. Brunson was thrown from the cab of the Ford, the FHP said, suffering fatal injuries.


Lineman killed after being struck by SUV

LEBANON, PA – A Cambria County lineman who was helping repair damage to power lines from Sunday’s ice storm was killed when he was struck by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon at his work site in Lebanon County. Joseph Gibbons, 61, of Dysart died at Hershey Medical Center, Hershey. He was struck by a sport utility vehicle as he was walking in the eastbound lane of Route 22 in East Hanover Township, state police said. Police identified the driver as Paul Reed, 34, of Lebanon. The victim’s younger brother, Michael Kenneth Gibbons, was working at the same site and rode to the hospital with his brother, said another brother, Bob Gibbons. Bob Gibbons also is a lineman and was working nearby. Bob Gibbons said co-workers told him the area was a work zone and was properly marked and that his brother was wearing all his safety equipment to be seen easily. Bob Gibbons said the utility company vehicle that his brother Joseph and two other workers were in was struck by a vehicle. Joseph Gibbons was asked by a supervisor to speak to responding state police about the accident and was walking toward police in the safety zone when the accident took place, Bob Gibbons was told by co-workers. Drivers reminded of boost in enforcement


Worker killed at Longmont turkey plant

LONGMONT, Colo. - A worker at the Butterball turkey plant in Longmont has died after he was pinned under a tractor-trailer rig. Authorities say 44-year-old Manuel O. Vega of Greeley was pronounced dead at Longmont United Hospital Wednesday night. Police Commander Craig Earhart says investigators believe Vega was trying to shift the weight in the rig's trailer after it became stuck in snow. Earhart says the truck apparently rolled backward and pinned him. The Boulder County Coroner says Vega's death was accidental asphyxiation. Police and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.


Brothers killed in Richmond shooting identified

RICHMOND, CA - Coroners have identified a pair of Sikh brothers who ran a San Pablo Avenue restaurant and were killed Thursday night in a brutal attack police say lacks an obvious motive. Paramjit Kalsi, 42, and 30-year-old Ravinder Kalsi, both of Richmond, were named by the Contra Costa County Coroner's Office as the victims of the restaurant attack. A third man died in a shooting across town less than an hour later, pushing Richmond's homicide total to 46 for 2007, its highest annual tally since the early 1990s. Twelve died in December, more than in any month in at least 12 years for Richmond. Detectives said the shootings do not appear related. At 9:14 p.m., a witness called 911 to report a shooting at Sahib Indian Restaurant



Worker dies in tractor incident

CA - A farm laborer died Thursday morning in an incident just southwest of the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Shirk Street. Manuel Quintanilla was collecting tree prunings from beneath plum trees and placing them in rows for shredding, said Eric Faria, whose family owns the farm. He died about 8:30 a.m. "I don't know what happened," Faria said. Quintanilla had been working for the Farias for 10-12 years. He was in his mid- to late-60s and had an estranged wife and at least one son and daughter, Faria said. "He just went to see his family for the holidays," Faria said. Quintanilla was driving a tractor with a small trailer attached at the time of his death. His body was found on a dirt road that runs alongside the plum orchard. The baseball cap he had been wearing was about 10 feet away.


Worker Crushed At Northeast Arkansas Steel Plant

AR - Mississippi County officials say a Missouri man was crushed to death Friday morning at a steel-processing plant in Armorel, east of Blytheville. Reports from the Mississippi County sheriff's office and county Coroner Mike Godsey outlined what occurred at the Gibbons Steel plant. They said 30-year-old Brandon Johnson of Caruthersville, Missouri, a town in the Missouri Bootheel just north of Mississippi County, died of injuries suffered in the accident shortly before 7:45 a.m. Gibbons Steel buys steel manufactured at a nearby Nucor Steel mill and processes it into other products. A sheriff's office report said Johnson was working at a table that holds large steel coils weighing approximately 3,000 pounds. The report said the table, which was tilted up, apparently fell on Johnson, pinning the lower half of his body to the floor. Fellow workers got a forklift and removed the table from Johnson and began first-aid procedures.


Ironworker killed in fall

PA - He was welding at the site of Temple's new medical building in N. Phila. An ironworker doing construction at Temple University's new medical building in North Philadelphia died yesterday morning after accidentally falling about five stories, authorities said. Federal investigators immediately opened a probe of Berlin Steel Construction Co. of Connecticut, which has come under scrutiny in the past for accidental falls. The company did not return calls yesterday. The victim, Drew Mecutchen, 44, of Levittown, was described by a colleague as the father of two teenage sons and a man who was always jovial and polite. Capt. Richard Davis of the Philadelphia Fire Department said medics were called to the site at 3500 N. Broad St., near Venango Street, shortly after 8 a.m. The victim was taken to the adjacent Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:15. Investigators have not officially released the cause of the fall, but it's possible a harness broke, authorities said. "I want to express our sadness at this tragic loss of life on our campus," said Eryn Jelesiewicz, Temple spokeswoman. "Our thoughts are with the victim's family and colleagues." Jim Glasson, a construction worker who was friends with Mecutchen, said he was shocked to hear about the death.


Worker dies after train car derails, Police unsure how BNSF employee was injured fatally

YORKVILLE, IL - A Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway employee was killed Friday morning in a train derailment here. At around 10 a.m., police were called to the 200 block of Wheaton Avenue near the F.E. Wheaton lumber yard, west of Route 47, where they found a partially overturned train car and a deceased worker. Authorities do not yet know how the employee, who was working on a crew involved in a routine switching operation on a side track, was killed. Steve Forsberg, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Regional general director of public affairs, said he does not know how the fatal injuries occurred.






Night of violence ends in shootout

MD - Police charge Douglas Wayne Pryor in deaths of ex-girlfriend, police officer. The violence that left a woman and a police officer dead Wednesday night started at an apartment complex in Halfway, moved to a field near Smithsburg and ended in a shootout outside the historic Ringgold Meeting House, police said. Douglas Wayne Pryor, 29, of 23432 Welty Church Road in Smithsburg, was charged Thursday in the stabbing death of his former girlfriend, Alison Munson, 31, of Halfway, and in the fatal shooting of Smithsburg Police Officer Christopher Shane Nicholson, 25, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department said. The charges against Pryor include first- and second-degree murder, the department said.


Natchez firefighter dies of injuries after traffic accident

NATCHEZ, Miss. - Authorities say it could take several weeks to investigate the details of a fatal traffic accident involving a police officer and a firefighter. Firefighter Darnell Woods was taken to Natchez Regional Medical Center after the Tuesday night accident. Police Chief Mike Mullins says hospital officials told him Woods died within five minutes of a flight to a hospital in Jackson. Woods' car was struck on the driver's side door. Mullins said Officer David Washington was enroute to assist another officer with a traffic stop when the crash occurred. The chief would not say whether Washington was using his lights and siren at the time. Mullins said the Mississippi Highway Patrol will conduct a full investigation of the accident.


Subway Workers Mourn a Colleague, Mentor, Artist and Friend

In a sea of church ladies with wide white hats and deacons in dark suits sat 120 broad-shouldered men wearing orange-and-yellow reflective vests, transit workers come to bid goodbye to one of their own. And no one at the funeral of Marvin Franklin, who was killed one week ago, carried the wounds of that day more visibly than Jeff Hill, a lithe young worker who stood alongside Mr. Franklin as the G train bore down. Mr. Hill came to the funeral in a neck brace, his forearm scratched raw. After a round of song and prayer, he took the pulpit. He described Mr. Franklin as a mentor who offered pointers on life and art. Then, as if reliving the moment, he described walking across the tracks that night. His words tumbled out one upon the other. “I saw a light behind Marvin,” Mr. Hill said. “I saw a light above his head. I couldn’t even yell.” Mr. Hill’s chest heaved, he shook his head and continued: “Marvin was squeezed behind me, I saw Marvin squeezed and mushed between the train and the platform.” Tears began to roll down Mr. Hill’s face. Sobs and supportive shouts of “Amen!” rose in response from the church pews.




Trucker Gunned Down in South Memphis

Memphis, TN - A Memphis truck driver is dead tonight after police say he was shot several times behind this BBQ store in South Memphis. "The investigation shows he was shot behind the business and drove next store to call for help," said Memphis Homicide Lt. Mark Miller. Investigators say their murder victim didn't make it very far. Hours later you could still see how the victim half parked his truck at the neighboring gas station, his cell phone from which he dialed 9-1-1 was still resting on the running board when police gathered it for evidence. "It hurts to know he's out here working and somebody shot him," said the victim's boss Stony Suitt. Suitt says he was a good employee and a loving father. His employee was just working extra hours to make this season a little brighter for his family. Video


Deputy injured in crash dies

GA - Bibb County Sheriff's deputy Chad McDonald was surrounded by family when he died Friday afternoon at The Medical Center of Central Georgia. McDonald, 29, suffered severe head injuries Wednesday in a traffic crash involving one other car. He had remained in the critical care unit since then. Hospital medical staff pronounced McDonald dead at 4:35 p.m., Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said. Various members of the sheriff's office, including Sheriff Jerry Modena, Deputy Chief David Davis and sheriff's chaplains, visited with his family throughout Friday afternoon. "We are deeply saddened by the course of events. For the second time in two years, we've had one of our officers stricken down in the course of duty," Davis said. "It's always worst here at the holidays. We'll try to get through it." In March 2006, deputy Joseph Whitehead was killed in an on-duty shooting.


Clyde teen dies of injuries suffered at work

TOLEDO, OH - A Clyde teen injured at his place of employment last week died Monday, according to the Lucas County Coroner's Office. John Sanford, 18, died at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo. Sanford, who was employed at J & S Fabrications on Ohio 19 in Green Creek Township, was operating a forklift when the incident happened. Sanford thought he put the lift in park, but instead placed the machine in neutral and walked in front, according to an officer with the Sandusky County Sheriff's Office. Sanford was struck and then pinned between a trash receptacle and the lift. Sanford was flown to the hospital after the accident happened. Sanford was a student a Clyde High School. He was a member of Victory Christian Fellowship in Fremont and had been a Boy Scout. He also had played football and the trumpet.


L.B. truck driver killed on Christmas

LONG BEACH, CA - Eric Ivan's big rig hit 405 Freeway divider and overturned. Eric Ivan loved to be on the road. As a truck driver for more than 15 years, Ivan hauled goods up and down the West Coast, said his younger sister Kristin Ortiz. "Eric would travel everywhere, from San Diego to San Francisco and Washington," she said. "He loved what he did." Ivan, a 44-year-old Long Beach resident, was hauling a load of dry ice from Torrance to San Diego on Christmas night when he was killed in an accident on the San Diego (405) Freeway. His big rig struck a center divider at 11:06 p.m. and overturned on the southbound 405 at Atlantic Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol. Ivan was pronounced dead at the scene, said Lt. Richard Hanna of the Los Angeles Country Coroner's Office.


Security guard killed; one person arrested

UT - A security guard was shot and killed Wednesday in front of several patrons at a Salt Lake City gas station. Police arrested a suspect in the killing. The shooting happened about 3 p.m. at the Sapp Bros. Travel Center at 1953 California Ave. Police spokesman Jared Wihongi said the guard might have tried to stop some kind of theft, but detectives were trying to verify that. The guard, who police said was a man in his 30s, died at the scene. Police were not releasing the name of the victim or suspect late Wednesday afternoon. The suspect, a white male who appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s, shouted obscenities at officers when police opened the door of the squad car before transporting the man to the Salt Lake County jail. Several witnesses were sequestered in the truck stop for more than an hour after the shooting. A handful of employees who left the scene around 4:45 p.m. were in tears. The employees, who worked at the station's Great American Restaurant, declined to comment about what happened.


Believed to be a dispute over a girl

LAWRENCE, NY- A man fatally shot an employee at a Taco Bell in Lawrence in a dispute over an ex-girlfriend, then fled the restaurant and turned the gun on himself.
Eyewitness News is told 24-year-old Giovanni Cruz of Brooklyn rushed into the Taco Bell, at 325 Rockaway Turnpike, and shot the employee just after 7:30 p.m. last night. The employee, 21-year-old Kevin Cruz of Far Rockaway, Queens, was shot numerous times and pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital.


Butterball driver killed in accident

LONGMONT, CO — A Butterball employee was killed Wednesday night after a tractor-trailer rolled on top of him. The employee’s name had not been released as of press time, but police announced early Thursday morning the man is from Greeley. According to police, his job had been to drive trucks between the various Butterball parking lots and from the lots to the plant at First Avenue and Main Street. Police Sgt. Bruce Wittich said the man had been in a lot southeast of the plant and gotten out of his truck. The vehicle then rolled, trapping him under the right rear of the tractor.


Orchard worker found dead; heart attack possible

CA - A worker was found dead this morning in a plum orchard near the corner of Walnut Avenue and Shirk Road west of Visalia. The worker, described as in his mid-60s, may have suffered a heart attack around 8:30 a.m., Tulare County Sheriff’s Department deputies said. His body was found about 50 feet from a tractor that had run into a ditch. The man’s name has not been released pending notification of relatives.


Man Crushed By Forklift In Altamonte Springs

CA - A Seminole County worker has been rushed to the hospital after a forklift crushed him. Rescue workers said around 7:35 a.m. the 50-year-old man was driving the forklift at a Costco on Orange Avenue in Altamonte Springs. He was backing it up and got pinned between the forklift and something else. The man was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center with a crushing chest injury. So far, there is no word on his condition.


Employee dies after Vail Mountain emergency

VAIL, CO — A Vail Resorts employee died around midnight Monday after she was found unconscious at the top of Vail Mountain late Sunday, the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office said. Alicia White, 29, of Jamaica, worked and lived at Two Elk Lodge, where she was found not breathing Sunday night, authorities said. Ski Patrol was giving CPR to White about 11 p.m., when sheriff’s deputies were told of the emergency, the Sheriff’s Office said. Ski Patrol took White down Vail Mountain and to an ambulance. She was pronounced dead at Vail Valley Medical Center, the Sheriff’s Office said. The cause of death is under investigation until an autopsy is done sometime in the next couple of days, authorities said. So far, nothing suspicious has been found in White’s death, the Sheriff’s Office said. White was healthy and had no medical history, Eagle County Coroner Kara Bettis said.


Polk County Man Sets Two Women On Fire

FL - A Polk County man is accused of setting two women on fire and shooting another man. One of the women was six-months pregnant. Leon Davis, Jr. turned himself into the sheriff's office Thursday night. Thursday afternoon, authorities said Davis walked into a Nationwide Insurance office in Lake Wales demanding money. Davis was reportedly not satisfied with the amount of money he was given, threw gasoline on the women and set them on fire. Several people watched as the burning women -- Yvonne Bustamonte and Jane Luciono, who is pregnant -- ran for their lives out the back door. "They were completely burned, to the point that you couldn't really see what they were," said one man. Police said Brandon Griessman, 34, a city employee, saw smoke and came running. A friend of Griessman, who did not want to be identified, described what happened next. "Brandon asked what was going on and the man just shot him. He shot three times and Brandon fell to the ground. He was shot in the nose," the woman said. As people tried to help the three victims, witnesses said Davis left the scene. "We watched him put the gun back into his lunch pail and he just walked down the street like he didn't have a care in the world," Griessman's friend said. Bustamonte, 26, and Luciono, 23, were flown to Orlando hospitals. Both women remain in critical condition. A former manager at the insurance agency said Davis cancelled his insurance police with the company last week.


Crane, Semi Collide, Killing Truck Driver

FORT LONESOME, FL - A 50-year-old Riverview man died in a crash Wednesday that closed County Road 39 at State Road 674 for hours. The accident happened at 10:11 a.m., about three miles south of S.R. 674, as a crane was driven across C.R. 39 onto property owned by fertilizer manufacturer Mosaic Co. The crane driver, Jerry Gibson, 58, of 3045 Harney Road, Bowling Green, pulled into the path of a 2000 International tractor-trailer being driven north on C.R. 39 by Julio Combina, 50, of 3514 Cornwall Square Drive, Riverview, the sheriff's office said. Combina was pronounced dead at the scene, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. The crane hit the front of the tractor-trailer, causing extensive damage. The sheriff's office is investigating the accident.


Caltrans Worker Hit, Killed Filling Pothole On I-5

ELK GROVE, CA ― A pickup truck struck and killed a state Department of Transportation worker while he was filling potholes on Interstate 5. The driver of a Ford F-150 pickup hit Caltrans employee Matthew White, 35, Friday near Elk Grove, California Highway Patrol Officer Michael Bradley said. Caltrans Director Will Kempton ordered a statewide safety stand-down, during which all agency maintenance employees halted work and returned to their maintenance yards to review safety procedures. Bradley said the driver of the pickup, a 25-year-old Elk Grove man, may not have seen White because of traffic. Police have not decided on charges. White, of Sacramento, was the third Caltrans employee killed on the job this year.


Cab driver killed in Marietta

GA - The shooting death of taxi driver in Marietta on Friday night marked at least the fifth cabbie slaying in metro Atlanta since September, adding to concern among drivers throughout the region. Marietta police were called to the Concepts 21 apartment complex at 8:15 p.m. after someone found Christopher Simmons, 21, lying on the ground next to his cab, police spokesman Mark Bishop said. Simmons, a Marietta resident and driver for Acuario Taxi, had been shot once in the chest, police said. He was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Bishop said detectives have not tracked down any witnesses to the shooting and have few leads to work with. He said he did not know if Simmons was dropping off or picking up someone at the complex, at 2600 Bentley Road, nor if the shooting occurred inside the cab. Bishop also said police had no evidence to link Simmons' murder to the other cabbie killings reported in metro Atlanta in recent months. They included:

• Tampico Taxi driver Juan Rubio-Castro, 27, shot to death in his cab Dec. 9 at a Riverdale apartment complex.

Dane Grobman, 54, shot to death Nov. 7 in his cab in DeKalb County.

• Lenox Cab driver Steve Guarini, 49, fatally shot in the back in his cab Sept. 9 in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward.

Berhanu Yassin, 45, killed in his cab Sept. 6 outside the Kensington MARTA station in DeKalb County.

Cab drivers are growing increasingly anxious about the local deaths, said Kimberly Smith, a dispatcher for Yellow Cab and Rapid Taxi in Atlanta.




Funeral held for City of Houston employee killed on the job

TX - Friends and family said their goodbyes to a City of Houston employee who died after he was run over on the job. Funeral services were held Saturday for Harold Norwood at the Greater Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Houston Mayor Bill White was on hand to offer his condolences. Norwood and another city worker, Larry Williams, were clearing debris on Sabo Road about a week ago when a driver hit them. Williams is still in the hospital with several broken bones


Deadly attempted robbery in Bridgeport

Bridgeport, CT - A man is dead after an attempted robbery at the store he was working in. An unidentified black man went into the Palisades Market in Bridgeport and tried to rob the store. The would-be robber got into a fight with an employee and shot the man. The employee was taken to Bridgeport Hospital where he later died from his gunshot wounds. Police are looking for the suspect at this time.


Family, friends gather to remember slain officer

CA - Exactly one year after San Francisco Police Officer Bryan Tuvera was shot to death by an escaped convict, his family, friends and colleagues gathered Saturday night to remember him. They met at the street corner where Tuvera had pursued on foot the man who would kill him, paused for a prayer at the house where the shots had been fired, and walked slowly to Taraval Station, where he had worked. Perhaps 100 strong, they carried candles cupped against a cold wind and marched to the wail of bagpipes. And yet, there were more laughs than tears in the crowd. Officers and relatives alike described Tuvera as a warmhearted man with a mischievous sense of humor. A man who died doing what he wanted to do - serve as a police officer, just like his father and his wife. "He'd rather see people laughing than mourning," said Grace McClurg, one of Tuvera's cousins.


Store clerk killed in robbery

Bridgeport CT - A college student and store clerk was shot and killed Saturday night after a robbery suspect shot him at a Bridgeport market. Moh'd Al-Sadouni, age 26, struggled with the robber before he was killed at the Palisades Market late Saturday night. The Jordanian native was a student at the University of Bridgeport. Police do have surveillance video from the store, but have not yet released it to the media. Police say they are looking for a black male wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and jeans.


CSB Investigates Deadly Florida Blast

OH - T2 Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of gasoline additives and chemical solvents, was engulfed in fire following the afternoon blast. According to media reports, the explosion sent large amounts of debris and smoke into the air and caused an evacuation of all businesses within at least a half-mile radius. The blast also knocked out the power of two generating units at a power plant and ripped the roof from the building of another nearby business Jacksonville Fire and Rescue spokesman Tom Francis told the Associated Press and Reuters that chemicals released by the explosion made the environment "incredibly dangerous for the first responders." The deceased have been identified as Scott Gallagher, Karey Henry, Parish Ashley and Charles Bolchoz. Gallagher was co-owner of the plant. Fourteen other employees were admitted to hospitals for injuries.


Texas Police Officer Dies In Shooting Accident

TX - A police officer for the Port of Corpus Christi has died in a shooting accident at the department's gun range. Port police Chief Luther Kim says 40-year-old James Saavedra was shot once in the chest Wednesday while he and another officer were sighting in a rifle. Saavedra died at a hospital one hour later. Kim says he doesn't know which officer fired the shot or where the two men were standing in relation to one another. The officers were on duty when the shooting occurred. Both were qualified range masters and experienced as firearms instructors. The Corpus Christi Police Department is handling the investigation for the port police force. Kim says the second officer has been placed on paid administrative leave. Saavedra is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.


Kenosha trench collapse kills construction worker

KENOSHA, Wis. - Authorities have recovered the body of a sewer construction worker in the Kenosha County town of Somers who was trapped and killed when wet soil inundated the deep trench where he was working. Efforts to recover the body continued more than 12 hours after the worker first was trapped by the moist soil flowing in around him in the 25- to 30-foot-deep trench. The body was finally recovered about 10:15 p.m. Somers Fire Chief Steven Krause says 52-year-old Juan Oviedo of Racine became trapped with mud and earth up to his neck. He was working to put in a sewer line at the site of a future Wal-Mart Supercenter when the trench collapsed at about 8:45 a.m. Rescue workers found Oviedo at the bottom of the trench with two co-workers trying to free him. He was talking, and in the initial efforts the rescuers freed him to his chest. But the ground was unstable, and mud and water continued to inundate the trench, with soil pushing into the trench as quickly as rescuers could remove it. Krause says a slide of water and mud occurred about 10:45 a.m. and the man died. Medical Examiner Mary Mainland says Oviedo was an employee of the Racine-based A.W. Oakes & Son Inc., which was doing excavation work on the site.


Helia worker found not responsive at facility, dies

IL - A employee at Helia Healthcare, 2800 W. Lawrence Ave., died Sunday night after being found unresponsive at the facility. Patrick Knott, 35, died at 8:30 p.m. in the emergency room of Memorial Medical Center, according to Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone. The cause of death was not immediately known, but an autopsy is expected to shed more light on the situation, Boone said. A woman whose mother is a resident at the nursing home told The State Journal-Register she saw three staff members pull a male nurse out of a restroom and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him while someone called 911.


Christmas Eve crash kills man

A man died Monday in a Christmas Eve crash on Wyoming Boulevard that involved a tractor-trailer and a Chevrolet Tahoe. The crash, which happened sometime before noon, left both vehicles destroyed. The semi, which was hauling mail, came to rest on its roof, with its trailer completely crushed. The impact scattered mail across the nearby prairie. The driver of the tractor-trailer died in the crash, said Natrona County Chief Deputy Coroner Gary Hazen. The man's identity was unavailable Monday afternoon. A short distance away, the Tahoe came to rest, its front end crushed. The cause and circumstances of the wreck were unavailable, as were the number of people involved. Stiff winds, some in excess of 68 mph, were blowing around the time of the crash.


Cabbie killed in U. Darby; robbery seen

PA - The call came over the two-way radio to the County Cab dispatcher about 3 a.m. yesterday. It was from cab No. 36, but it wasn't the driver checking in. Police say it was his killer. What followed was an intensive ground and air search by police before the body of Gregory Cunningham, 42, of Clifton Heights, was found about 6 a.m. in a walkway between Buildings E and F of the Park Lane East Apartments in Upper Darby. In the tidy, quiet complex of three-story tan brick buildings just off Garrett Road, a bloodstain yesterday marked the spot where police believe Cunningham's body was dumped after he was shot. Police said he was struck by one bullet, but they would not disclose the location of the wound or what kind of weapon was used.


Community to honor slain officer in vigil

OCEANSIDE -- Joanne Rush works just around the corner from the spot where Oceanside Police Officer Dan Bessant was gunned down last December 20. Since that tragic day, she said, there's been some positive change in the area, known for its crime and gang activity. Thursday marks one year since Bessant's slaying. "Something like that touches the heart of the whole neighborhood," said Rush, a community assistant at the San Luis Rey Valley Resource Center, who has lived in the Mesa Margarita neighborhood near Camp Pendleton's back gate for 39 years. "We're having more people come forward to get involved and try to bring back our community."
Bessant, 25, the married father of a 2-month-old son, was shot and killed last year while assisting another officer in a traffic stop at Arthur and Gold Streets. Three teenagers have been charged in his death. On Thursday night, the community will hold a candlelight vigil to honor Bessant, who served as a neighborhood officer. The vigil will also remember others who suffered violent deaths in the neighborhood, including Peter Rodriguez, Rusty Seau and Pearl Seau, all victims of shootings. Rush said that so far more that 100 people have said they would participate. "We've had so many violent incidents," said Rush. "This vigil is an effort to bring closure, to bring somewhat of an emotional healing."


Huntsville police officer dies after being shot

AL - The family, colleagues and community are all in mourning today after a Huntsville police officer died this morning after being shot Friday night. The officer, William Eric Freeman, 36, died this morning at 9:38 after receiving a gunshot wound to the head. Freeman was married and a father of five children. He was a three-year veteran of HPD. The shooting happened after reports of a traffic accident near the intersection of Bailey Cove Road and Weatherly Road in which Freeman and HPD officer Kevin Lambert attempted to arrest Kenneth C. Shipp, Jr., 53, who was sitting on the curb besides the accident scene. Shipp was going to be arrested for DUI, and pulled a handgun and shot Freeman. Shipp was subdued by Lambert and two citizens who assisted him.


Sheriff’s detective dies about 3:30 p.m., suspect in custody

CA - Tulare County Sheriff’s detective shot early this afternoon north of Ivanhoe has died. Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Douglass said the detective, whom she identified as Kent Haws, died at Kaweah Delta Hospital at 3:10 p.m. Haws had been with the sheriff’s department since January 1998. He was 38 and lived in Exeter. He was the 11th Tulare County sheriff’s officer to die in the line of duty since 1889. Seven had died in auto crashes. The most recent was Dep. Kevin Ellum, killed in a car crash above Porterville on Oct. 7, 2005. Douglass revealed little about the circumstances of the shooting except that Haws “came across a suspicious circumstance” early this afternoon while he was driving south on Road 156 just before he reached Avenue 344. He was shot at about 1:40, she said. video


Public works employee killed when struck by car

TX - A city worker was hit and killed and another injured Friday afternoon when a motorist slammed into the pair as they were clearing debris from the roadway. It happened in the 11600 block of Sabo around 12:30 p.m. Harold Norwood and Larry Williams were removing debris from the roadway when a female driver hit them, pinning Norwood against the vehicle. Norwood was killed instantly. Williams’ was taken to Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital and was listed in fair condition with a severe back injury. Both were employees for the city’s Public Works Department's Right-of-Way maintenance group. A Public Works spokesman said this was not the first time Norwood -- a seven year veteran of the city -- had been struck by a vehicle while on the job.



Kent area snow plow driver killed

OH - A man was crushed Monday under his own truck in Franklin Township, east of Kent.
It is believed that well known local contractor Joseph Starkey had stopped on Sixth Avenue and was adjusting something under the truck when it rolled backward. The accident was discovered about 12:30 p.m. Monday by an employee of the Franklin Township Road Department. Starkey had been plowing an area of Kent Park, not far from Kent State University. Friends say Starkey, 35, had been having problems with the 4-wheel shift lever on his 1997 Ford F-350. It is not known if that is the problem he was trying to repair when his truck rolled back and crushed him. Starkey called his contracting business Wynstar Construction, run out of his home in Brady Lake. Another local contractor who knew Starkey said he was a family man well known in the local construction industry. The Ravenna post of the Ohio Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.


Truck driver killed in fiery 18-wheeler wreck along IH-10

TX - A truck driver for a Houston trucking company was killed when his truck crashed into a throng of trees, causing the truck to explode, at Ida Reed Park, near I-10 and 8th streets, Beaumont Officer Crystal Holmes said. The man's name has not been released. Holmes said witnesses saw the truck traveling eastbound at about 12:30 p.m. on Interstate 10 when it suddenly veered "hard right," sending the semi-trailer and its load of at least a dozen, 30-foot long industrial pipes, across the highway and the feeder road, barreling through trees until it finally stopped and exploded. Holmes said it is unknown what caused the truck to swerve. Beaumont police continue to investigate. Video


Construction Worker Dies After Falling On First Day

PELHAM MANOR, N.Y. -- A construction worker at the Home Depot being built in Pelham Manor has died one day after falling from the roof. Pelham Manor Police said George Leak, 48, of Jamaica, Queens fell more than 25 feet onto the concrete floor of the store at Secor Lane and Pelham Parkway Thursday. Police said he was pronounced dead at 10 a.m. Friday at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx without regaining consciousness. His sister, Leatric Leak, 41, told the Journal News it was her brother's first day at the that job. She said he leaves behind four children, 23 years to 17 months old. Police said the victim was on the roof when he apparently lost his footing on a beam. He was employed by Leading Edge Contracting out of Oldwick, N.J.


ROLLOVER KILLS VACAVILLE MAN:

CA - A man who died Monday morning in a solo-vehicle accident that slowed morning commute traffic just north of the Benicia Bridge has been identified as Vacaville resident Bradley Fisher. Fisher, 45, was traveling north on Interstate 680 in a 2003 Dodge pickup about 8:40 a.m. when he lost control, skidded off the right shoulder south of Bayshore Road and overturned, the California Highway Patrol reported. Fisher was partially ejected and crushed to death when the truck cab collapsed, the CHP said. One of the right-hand lanes was closed off while officers examined the area, and traffic backed up to the bridge, CHP officials said.Sheriff’s detective dies about 3:30 p.m., suspect in custody



This was a miss print so I fixed it an left it in because a death is a death Assault on TJ police station leaves one officer dead

Mexico - A group of armed men opened fire inside Rosarito Beach's police station yesterday afternoon in an attack that left one officer dead and another wounded, Baja California authorities said. Two unidentified civilians were also wounded during the assault at 12:40 p.m., according to a news release from the state Attorney General's Office. The officers worked as bodyguards for the city's public security director, state authorities said. The director wasn't in the building during the attack. The dead bodyguard was identified as Guillermo Castro Corona, 35. The wounded bodyguard was identified as Leonel PizaƱa Trip. Authorities later found four abandoned cars believed to have been used by the assailants.

4 comments:

Bob Blogger said...

Neat blog but the second entry is in Baja, Mexico not California

Tammy said...

Thanks for the correction and comment. I guess there are a few who are up late like myself. Have a good new year.

Anonymous said...

your blog paints such a real picture of the harsh world we live in...

I recently suffered such a harsh head injury in an industrial accident that my days are now confined to a computer, where i read lots of blogs..

top read. thanks

Tammy said...

Thank you, I am a bit behind but will catch up. You never really know if what your doing had an impact so thanks for the comment.
God Bless

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