Sunday, January 20, 2008

Weekly Toll: Death In The American Workplace

Teen Killed In Fork Lift Accident In Queens

NY - A Queens teenager was killed in a fork lift accident at a building supply store Saturday. Police say 13-year-old Kevin Hrcka was operating a forklift at Miron Building Supply. Employees say it flipped over after taking a sharp turn. Hrcka tried to jump off, but was pinned underneath the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Workers say that Hrcka is the son of an employee, but he was not authorized to use a forklift. "He shouldn't be there to begin with, that's prohibited,” said employee Vincent Sosnowski. "The company clearly states if you're not working here, you don't belong in the yard."


Truck kills construction worker in South Loop

IL - A construction worker died Friday afternoon after he fell under the wheels of a cement truck in the South Loop, police said. The 36-year-old man, who worked for Walsh Construction, was on-site at 1411 S. Michigan Ave. about 1 p.m guiding a cement truck backing into traffic. He slipped and fell under the wheels of the Prairie Truck Co. truck, police Lt. Charles Flynn said. The man was pronounced dead at the Cook County medical examiner's office at 3:15 p.m. His identity was not immediately released. Chicago police were investigating.


Dairy worker, 21, dies after fall into pond

NIBLEY, UT - A 21-year-old Cache County man died Friday morning after falling into a snow- and ice-covered pond at a dairy. The man's name was not released, as Cache County sheriff's investigators are working to find and notify his family, said Lt. Chad Jensen. The man was living in the valley with a cousin, he said. The man was attempting to round up cattle that had gotten loose at the dairy, at 230 W. 4000 South, when he cut across the ice and fell into the pond, county officials said. He was working alone, Jensen said. When coworkers later arrived, they saw tracks leading to the pond. The pond also contains manure runoff. "When the other employees arrived, they went out to find him fully submerged," Jensen said. The coworkers then called the sheriff's office. Cache County Search and Rescue responded to the farm with a small boat and recovered the man's body from the icy water, Jensen said. Investigators are unsure how long the 21-year-old was under water, but think he may have fallen in about 7:30 a.m. and may have gone unnoticed until about 9 a.m. The pond is an estimated 8 to 10 feet deep and about 30 feet wide, Jensen said. The dairy is in southeast Nibley, less than a mile northeast of the Swift meat-packing plant formerly owned by E.A. Miller.



Man killed in Letcher Co. industrial accident

HALLIE, Ky.- What an oil company official calls a freak accident has killed a worker in Letcher County. 30 year-old Timothy Fields died Monday after his arm became entangled in a power take off shaft at the Kentucky Oil Gathering Corporation's Line Fork Compressor Unit in Hallie. Company manager Leonard Carl Ross says Fields became caught by the shaft while operating a truck. Ross says Fields was married and had a young child. The company official says Field's death is the first serious accident the company has had in Kentucky. Letcher County is on the Virginia border.


Worker run over by excavator

HILLSDALE, NY - A construction worker was killed while installing a water main in a Hillsdale street Thursday morning. Authorities say a large excavator ran over the worker, who was installing the 30-inch water main on Maple Avenue at Chestnut Street, just before 8 a.m. The victim's foot reportedly got caught under the tread, which pulled him under. Officials say the operator of excavator tried to shut it down, but it was too late. The 49-year-old man, a contractor for United Water, was pronounced dead at the scene. The operator was taken to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood for treatment of shock. The worker was employed by J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, according to authorities. He was installing the water main for United Water as part of a long-term construction project. The state's Office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the death.


Coroner determines cause of cadet's death at Camarillo academy

CA -Authorities this morning identified the man who died Thursday after collapsing during a training run at the Ventura County Police and Sheriff’s Reserve Officer's Academy in Camarillo. Gregory Chastang, 43, of Carson, was pronounced dead at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard at 6:54 p.m., said Michael Tellez, a deputy Ventura County medical examiner. Chastang was rushed to St. John’s after he collapsed about 6:15 p.m. at the academy at 100 Durley Drive in Camarillo. After an autopsy on Friday, county medical examiners determined that Chastang died a natural death from sudden cardiac arrhythmia due to ischemic heart disease, Tellez said.


Man killed in Davie warehouse fire identified by police

FL - A 69-year-old man who died in a warehouse fire has been identified as Alexander Steele. Steele, of Hollywood, died Wednesday morning when fire broke out at a business in the Davie Commerce Center in the 2000 block of Southwest 70th Avenue, Davie police said. The warehouse houses several offices and storage bays. Steele was lying next to a burning bay door when firefighters arrived. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Preliminary information indicates that the fire may have been accidental and started in the back of a business called Classic Standard Reproduction, authorities said. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.


Hastings man dies in AGP plant accident

NE - A Hastings man is dead after an early morning accident at the AGP plant east of town. The Adams County Attorney's Office says the man is 36–year–old Robert Grant Ervie, an employee at AGP. Investigators are still trying to figure out how exactly this happened. Emergency crews arrived at the scene around 3:30 Wednesday morning, moments after the incedent. According to AGP officials, the accident occurred while employees were moving rail tank cars into the railcar wash located in the company's industrial complex. AGP confirms the employee involved in the accident, 36–year–old Robert Grant Ervie, has died as result of injuries sustained in the accident. "Interviews have been conducted with witnesses and employees. OSHA will take over investigation," said Adams County Sheriff Gregg Magee. AGP officials have released a statement. It reads, quote, "We have suffered the loss of a fellow co–worker and friend. Ag Processing Inc. extends its heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this very difficult time."


Joliet man shot in recording studio dies

IL - A young aspiring rap musician from Joliet died Thursday, five days after he was shot in the head at a recording studio, officials said. Charges against Alexander Moore, 18, of Joliet were expected to be upgraded to murder in the shooting of Kyle D. Parnell, 19, officials said. Parnell was shot about 2 a.m. Saturday in a second-floor recording booth at the I Eat U Eat Sound Lab, 343 Ruby St. Deputy Chief Patrick Kerr would not discuss a motive for the slaying Thursday, saying only, "This shooting had gang overtones, but neither the victim nor the suspect are known gang members."


Man injured in Spring Hill fall dies

OH - Vinton Dorsey, the 71-year-old Troy man who was injured in a fall at Spring Hill Nursery, has died. Dorsey passed away around 5:30 a.m. today at Harborside Healthcare in Troy, according to his wife, April Gilley-Dorsey. She said his cause of death is believed to be due to pneumonia he contracted days after his accident Nov. 30.Dorsey fell about 15 feet through a hole in the second floor of a production building at Tipp City nursery. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted an investigation in December and found Spring Hill guilty of two safety violations. Spring Hill paid a $9,000 fine to OSHA on Jan. 9. "He had a horrible fever the last couple of nights. He went to sleep Tuesday night and didn't wake up," Gilley Dorsey said this morning. Gilley-Dorsey said the family plans to make arrangements with Baird Funeral Home in Troy. She said the immediate family - Dorsey had six sons and other local family members - also are planning a public viewing and memorial service Saturday at a time to be determined, for Dorsey's friends and former co-workers.


Tow truck drivers honor one of their own killed on the job

VA - A Newport News tow truck driver who was killed while towing a car was honored today by friends and family. Around 50 tow truck drivers from across the peninsula, along with just as many motorcyclists gathered at a Hampton parking lot to say goodbye to Darrell Jones. The 36-year-old father was killed early Saturday morning. The car he was attempting to repossess, rolled backwards and Jones was somehow pinned him under the truck. His colleagues, along with his motorcycle riding buddies all showed up for a parade to his funeral. It was a sad occasion for everyone who knew Jones. "Darrell had an extended family and what you see here is an example of it. The many folks that loved him as a friend, that rode motorcycles with him," said Tim Smith, a friend of Jones'.


Hastings worker dies in early-morning accident

HASTINGS, NE - An employee at a vegetable oil refinery near Hastings was killed in an accident early Wednesday morning. Emergency responders were called to the Ag Processing Inc. plant east of Hastings at about 3:30 a.m. The accident occurred while employees were moving rail tank cars into a railcar wash in the company's industrial complex, according to a news release from the company. The employee's name had not been released by the Adams County attorney's office as of Wednesday afternoon. The accident's cause is being investigated by the Adams County Sheriff's Department. "Ag Processing Inc. extends its heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends," Marty Reagan, the company's chief executive officer, said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this very difficult time." Ag Processing Inc., known as AGP, is a regional cooperative with headquarters in Omaha. In addition to the refinery, the company runs a soybean processing plant, ethanol plant and grain elevator in Hastings.




Worker killed at metal treatment plant in Portage

PORTAGE, Ind. - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating an accident that killed a worker at a metal treatment plant in Portage. Portage police identify the victim as 25-year-old Jacob Amundsen of Merrillville. The accident occurred about 7 a.m. Wednesday at Precoat Metals. Porter County Coroner Vicki Deppe says Amundsen was working in an area where steel coils are loaded by crane. He appeared to have been struck in the head by a 35,000-pound steel coil. Precoat Metals says the company is cooperating in the investigation but could not release further details. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.


Washington, Ia., city employee killed in wreck

IA - The city of Washington's assistant city engineer has died after an accident in southeast Iowa. Brian Gleason, 25, of Hills, died Friday morning at University Hospitals in Iowa City. He lost control of his sports utility vehicle about 5 p.m. Thursday on a snow-covered U.S. Highway 218 in Washington County, the Iowa State Patrol said. The SUV crossed the median into oncoming traffic where it was struck by another SUV driven by Linda Carter, 62, of Hillsboro, the patrol said. Gleason was the son of Dubuque County Associate Judge Richard R. Gleason, the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reported. Carter and a passenger in her vehicle, Gene Carter, 64, of Hillsboro, also were taken to University Hospitals. Information on their condition wasn't released.


East Texas Man Killed In Industrial Accident

SULPHUR SPRINGS, TX - An East Texas man is dead after being involved in an industrial accident. Authorities say 50-year-old Thomas Eddie Farmer of Pittsburg got of an excavator, when a 40-foot wall of dirt collapsed on top of him. It all took place at the Thermo Lignite Mine just South of Sulphur Springs. Farmer died at the scene. Osha and the Hopkins County Sheriff's Department are investigating.


Local worker killed on project in Montana

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Friends and family of a longtime Roaring Fork Valley resident are mourning his death in a construction accident Monday near Bozeman, Mont. William “Bill” Van Alstyne was killed when he fell from a ladder while working on a custom home outside of Logan. Van Alstyne, 43, was on the field crew with Myers and Co. Architectural Metals of Basalt. He was working on a chimney cap at the time. “They were so close to being finished, it’s unbelievable,” said company owner Bob Myers. A crew of three began work there in October and had only a few hours remaining before completing the project. Myers and Co. was a subcontractor on the job. “We don’t know for sure what happened,” Myers said. “The only thing we know for certain is that he fell off a ladder.” Van Alstyne struck his head and died at the scene. Myers said witnesses reported that Van Alstyne wasn’t flailing his arms or screaming as he fell, raising questions about whether he experienced a medical issue prior to the fall. An autopsy was performed, but Myers wasn’t aware yet of the results. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has an inspector at the site investigating the accident, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.



Tanker Crashes, Falls, Driver Killed

DETROIT, — A tanker truck crashed into a cement barrier on a highway overpass Thursday, causing the tanker to plummet 30 to 40 feet to the ground where it exploded and caught fire near a home. The truck's cab got stuck on the overpass, and the driver was killed, police said. The truck was hauling about 7,200 gallons of butane from Pennsylvania to Sarnia, Ontario, according to Hubert Blough, vice president of the company that employed the driver. "We don't know if he lost control. There was no wet pavement," fire spokeswoman Katrina Butler said. The tanker fell from Interstate 75 in southwest Detroit. Flames shot dozens of feet in the air. A home near where it landed caught fire as well. "None of the witnesses said the truck swerved," Michigan State Police Lt. Monica Yesh said. "There are no skid marks, which usually indicates a medical emergency somewhere along the line." Images captured by a motorist showed flames leaping into the air from the bridge, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. The heat was so intense you could feel it all the way across the freeway," Alan Carter told television station WJBK. "As a truck driver it just breaks my heart to see any truck upside-down like that."When the tanker hit the guardrail, it flipped over and exploded when it hit the ground near a house, police said. But the cab of the truck became lodged on the freeway barrier, which prevented it from toppling over the edge, she said. The driver's body was found in the cab of the truck on the freeway. He was identified as Ronald A. Martinez, 60, of Albion by state police. He had worked for Aero Bulk Carrier of Grand Rapids since 1999.


Man electrocuted in industrial accident

SHAWNEE, Okla. - Police in Shawnee say the manager of a manufacturing plant was electrocuted while touching newly installed machines at Camfil Farr. Police identified the man who died as 45-year-old David Bean of Tecumseh. The supervisor told police that on Tuesday night he and Bean were standing between two machines they had just installed at the plant which makes filters. A police report says as they leaned on the machines with a hand on each one, Bean let go, stumbled back a couple of steps and said the machine had shocked him. Bean collapsed and workers called 911. They attempted CPR and chest compressions while waiting for firefighters and paramedics to arrive.


Worker dies at building site

SYCAMORE, OH - A 55-year-old man collapsed and died while working at a construction site on Galbraith Road near Kenwood Towne Centre Wednesday afternoon, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department. Harry Baynes, of Bedford, was working on a ladder on the second floor of the building when he collapsed, Sycamore Township Fire Chief William A. Jetter said. The floor he was on did not yet have stairwells, and a fire truck was needed to remove him. Because the man had to be rescued, the incident was considered an industrial accident, Jetter said.


Local worker dies after fall impales him on stake

MURPHY, NC — State labor investigators were looking Wednesday into the death of a Waynesville man impaled by a plastic stake after a fall from a billboard. Kevin Newcomb, 25, who was working on an Allison Outdoor Advertising billboard on U.S. 64 near Murphy, died Monday. “Our whole company is grief-stricken,” said Gary Ayers, Allison Outdoor’s general manager. “Kevin was three things. He was a good man, a good employee and a good friend. He really was. He was very well liked by everybody here.” Newcomb lost his balance and fell 10 and one-half feet from the billboard platform while unrolling vinyl, said Cherokee County Sheriff’s deputy Mitch Boudrot, who talked to accident witnesses. Newcomb rotated in the air as he fell and landed on a 46-inch-tall and 3-inch-wide buried cable marker. It impaled him through his lower right back and left front chest, the deputy said.


State employee dies in crash

FARMINGTON, N.M. - The San Juan County Sheriff's Department has identified a woman who was killed last night on U.S. 550 as an employee of the State Parks Division. Authorities say 30-year-old Jessica Terrell was headed to San Juan County to conduct a training session when the crash happened. She lost control of the pickup truck she was driving on an icy patch of road. The truck spun into the opposite lane and into the path of a semi truck. State Parks Director Dave Simon says Terrell was loved by her family, friends and colleagues. He says Terrell was a native of Ohio and was previously the trail coordinator for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks.


N.H. Truck driver killed while delivering wood chips

FREETOWN, Mass. — Police in Massachusetts say a truck driver who worked for a New Hampshire company has died after being buried in wood chips he was trying to unload at a site leased by his company. Police Chief Carlton Abbott told The Standard Times of New Bedford that the man was using a conveyor belt to unload when he went into the bed of his truck's trailer to try to free some stuck chips. He stood on a pile of chips and was engulfed when the chips shifted. The 41-year-old driver, whose name was not immediately released, worked for Haynes Trucking of Colebrook (New Hampshire) . Police say he's believed to have suffocated but the state medical examiner will make a final ruling. The newspaper reports that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also is investigating.


Ocean County security officer dies after being hit by car on job

TOMS RIVER, NJ - Toms River police are investigating an accident that occurred early Monday that killed an Ocean County security officer. Jo Ann Russo, 57, of the Pelican Island section of the township, was crossing Hooper Avenue in the designated lighted crosswalk just north of Washington Street when she was struck by a car. Russo was crossing from the Ocean County Administration Building when she was struck in the southbound lanes, according to Toms River police Chief Michael Mastronardy. "She was performing security rounds at the time of the accident, and she was going to raise the flag near the east wing of Ocean County courthouse," said Donna Flynn, Ocean County spokeswoman. Part of Russo's duty Monday was to raise the Ocean County and U.S. flag at dawn. The vehicle that struck Russo was operated by Marguerite Wejnert, 76, of Berkeley. Wejnert was southbound on Hooper Avenue when she struck Russo, Mastronardy said.


Billboard worker’s death investigated

MURPHY, NC – State labor investigators today looking into an accident that left a Waynesville man dead after he fell 10-and-a-half feet from a billboard in Cherokee County and landed on a plastic stake. Kevin Newcomb, 25, who was working on an Allison Outdoor Advertising billboard on U.S. 64 near Murphy, died Monday. “Our whole company is grief-stricken,” said Gary Ayers, Allison Outdoor’s general manager. “Kevin was three things. He was a good man, a good employee and a good friend. He really was. He was very well liked by everybody here.” Newcomb lost his balance and fell off the billboard platform while unrolling vinyl, said Deputy Mitch Boudrot of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office who talked to accident witnesses. Newcomb rotated in the air as he fell and landed a 46-inch-tall by 3-inch-wid


Construction worker dies after falling from ladder

BOZEMAN, MT - Investigators are trying to determine how a 43-year-old construction worker fell from a ladder and died of a head injury at a work site near Logan. Ross Yeager is Montana's director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He says an inspector will spend three days in Bozeman interviewing employees and witnesses who were at the site Monday morning when the Colorado man fell. The man's name hasn't been released pending notification of his family. The man was working for Colorado-based Meyers and Company, a subcontractor working for the general contractor Yellowstone Traditions based in Bozeman.


Construction worker collapses, dies

OH - A 51-year-old man collapsed from what was believed to be a heart attack while working at a construction site on Galbraith Road near Kenwood Mall this afternoon. He was pronounced dead at Jewish Hospital, according to Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Stephen Barnett. The man's name was withheld until ater his family has been notified. Sycamore Township Fire Chief William A. Jetter said the man was working on a ladder on the second floor of the building when he collapsed. The floor he was working on did not yet have stairwells, making it necessary to extricate him from the building with a fire truck ladder and bucket. Because the man had to be rescued, the incident was considered an industrial accident, Jetter said.


Worker dies from fall at Sea Ray Plant

TN - A contract worker died after falling 25 feet while working at the Sea Ray Plant in Knoxville. Plant officials said he was working on an air conditioning unit when he fell Friday afternoon. His name was not immediately released, but he worked for Air Quest America on heating and air conditioning units. The worker was found by one of his co-workers. The man died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.


A Firefighter Is Killed in a Brooklyn Blaze

NY - A fire lieutenant died Thursday evening fighting a smoky and blinding fire that enveloped a high-rise apartment building in Brooklyn at the site of the former Ebbets Field, city officials said. At least four other firefighters and four residents of the apartment building were injured, but none of those injuries were considered life-threatening. The fire lieutenant, Lt. John H. Martinson, of Engine Company 249 of Brooklyn, died after a full-scale assault on the 14th floor of the 25-story apartment building at 1700 Bedford Avenue, fire officials said. Lieutenant Martinson was found unconscious on the floor about 10 feet inside the apartment where the blaze started, the officials said. He was found with his mask off, and was carried out of the building by fellow firefighters. The apartment was empty, officials said. It was not immediately clear what caused Lieutenant Martinson’s death, but firefighters struggled all evening with choking and blinding smoke. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but is not believed to be suspicious, a fire official said.


Construction worker found dead in Capitol

UT - A 30-year-old construction worker was found dead Friday in the basement of the Utah State Capitol just prior to a rededication ceremony for the newly renovated building. Construction workers found the man - a plumber who works for Jacobsen Construction - in a sub-basement area of the building, described as a "narrow crawl space" by Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Cameron Roden. He was identified as John David Welsh, of Riverdale. Welsh had reported to work Friday morning and had been dead "a short period of time" when his body was discovered about 2 p.m., Roden said. Welsh's remains were removed from the State Capitol about 6:30 p.m. He may have died in an industrial accident, Roden said, but his cause of death is still under investigation. Doug Welling, president of Jacobsen Construction, said he was notified of Welsh's death as the ceremony's dedicatory prayer was being given. It was not immediately known why Welsh was in the crawl space. Welling said he "may have been repairing something or looking at something." Roden said nothing at this time pointed to foul play. "This is is a very sad occasion on the heels of a grand occasion," Welling said. He said this was the only fatality that has occurred in the three years it took to renovate the State Capitol, and only a few workers had suffered minor injuries on the job during that time


Man falls to death at Eramet

PARKERSBURG — An Eramet employee died Friday morning after falling 30 feet from a crane. Charles “Chuck” Hatcher, 52, of 727 Bird St., Parkersburg, was pronounced dead at Marietta Memorial Hospital, according to the company and Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks. No foul play is suspected in the fall, Mincks said. “It appears to have been an accident,” he said. An electrician employed at the Ohio 7 facility south of Marietta for nearly four years, Hatcher fell from an overhead crane around 9:15 a.m. while performing a routine inspection on the equipment, said Joy Frank-Collins, communications and public relations representative for Eramet. “It’s been a really bad day here,” she said. “Our hearts and prayers are going out to his family. Of course, he was part of our family here, too.” Grief counselors were called to the plant Friday. They will remain available to Eramet employees throughout the weekend and the coming week, as needed, Frank-Collins said. The accident happened in Eramet’s No. 1 furnace building, which is visible from Ohio 7. The sheriff’s office responded to the scene, along with emergency squads from Marietta and Warren. Eramet also has trained first-responders on-site; they were the first to arrive. Mincks said deputies conducted an initial investigation to determine whether the fall was an accident. After that, they secured the scene for Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators, who arrived Friday afternoon.


Train worker killed

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 Illinois 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. The Yorkville Police Department, along with Plano officers, Kendall County sheriff's deputies and the Bristol-Kendall Fire Department responded to the incident. Upon arrival, officers secured the scene for the Kendall County coroner and Burlington Northern Santa Fe investigators.


Aviation employee struck, killed by propeller

OK - A man was killed this morning at Wiley Post Airport when he was struck by a plane's propeller, officials said. The man’s name has not been released, but he was an employee of Atlantic Aviation. Sue Sommers, spokeswoman for Atlantic Aviation, refused to comment on the incident. The company provides private plane service. The accident happened about 2:30 a.m. at the airport. The man, who is thought to be in his early 20s, was attempting to place a wheel stop when he was struck by one of the plane’s propellers, police Master Sgt. Gary Knight said.


2nd Lake Wales Burn Victim Dies At Hospital

LAKE WALES, FL Twenty-one days after being doused with gasoline and set afire, Juanita "Jane" Luciano died Thursday. That brings to five the number of people investigators say a Winter Haven man killed last month in failed robberies at two Polk County businesses. Luciano, 23, was 5 1/2 months pregnant when she and co-worker Yvonne Bustamante were set on fire during the Dec. 13 robbery attempt at Headley Nationwide Insurance Agency in Lake Wales, where the two women worked. Bustamante, 26, died Dec. 18 from burn injuries. Luciano never regained consciousness after being flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center, officials said. She did not know her baby, Michael Bustamante Jr., was delivered by emergency Cesarean section the night of the incident, or that the 1-pound, 2-ounce baby died three days later.


Police identify attackers in new year's first homicide

EL PASO, TX - El Paso police have arrested a man suspected of attacking a security guard at the Paso del Norte bridge port of entry on New Year's Day. The guard later died at a local hospital, police said. Police identified their suspect as Pablo Aragon, 29. They said he attacked 58-year-old Cruz Vite while attempting to cross the Paso del Norte bridge in Downtown El Paso Tuesday. Investigators say Aragon punched Vite several times in the face before fleeing. Vite later died at Thomason Hospital, but his exact cause of death had not been released. Aragon was caught by a Border Patrol agent shortly after the attack and police were reviewing surveillance tape from the area that show exactly what happened.



Man Crushed, Body Severed At Landfill Garage

FL - Remote Arms On Back Of Garbage Truck Caused Accident, Investigators Say. A maintenance worker died Thursday when his body was crushed and severed during an accident inside a landfill garage, authorities said. Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue paramedics were called to Waste Management Incorporated at 3831 N. Powerline Road shortly before 9 a.m. Raul Figueroa, 45, had worked at the company for seven years as a mechanic, Broward Sheriff's Office detectives told Local 10. Figueroa was working alone and standing on the side of the truck between the cab and the main part of the truck when the remote arm crushed and severed his body. A co-worker found him at 9 a.m., but they are not sure what time the accident happened. "The maintenance worker was making repairs to a garbage truck when the remote arms on the back of the truck retracted, crushing the man under the arms against the truck," said Gary Fernays, the Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue public information officer. Figueroa was pronounced dead at the scene. The Broward County Medical Examiner was expected to arrive at the scene. BSO is calling Figueroa's death accidental. Waste Management is not commenting about the incident.


Cab driver killed while trying to help wreck victims

HOUSTON, TX - On this New Year's Eve, police are investigating whether alcohol played a role in a deadly accident in north Houston. A taxi driver (Micaela Liem) was struck and killed while trying to help others. Police are still trying to determine whether the person who hit the taxi cab driver was drunk. Investigators say alcohol may have been a factor in an early morning accident on the North Freeway near West Mount Houston. It's the type of accident the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says to expect over the next 24 hours. "Statistics show that on average we're going to average about 60 fatalities per day over the three-day New year's Day period," said David Kelly with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Investigators tell us that a cab driver had stopped to help three women who were in an SUV that had flipped over. The SUV was struck by a hit and run driver. While walking back to his car, the cab driver was hit by a woman driving a Honda. Investigators say there was faint smell of alcohol on her breath. The cab driver died at the hospital. The woman


Industrial worker killed in accident on Wiser Street

WORCESTER, MA — A 59-year-old Intransit Container Inc. employee was killed this morning when a tire on large crane he was working on blew off the machinery and knocked him several feet into the air. Police Sgt. Gary J. Quitadamo said Paul Harding of Spencer, was pronounced dead upon arrival at 10:18 this morning at UMass-Memorial Hospital -- University Campus. The sergeant said the victim was servicing a tire on the large crane when the accident occurred at 9:37 a.m. and knocked him airbone. Intransit Container is located at 53 Wiser Ave., off Greenwood Street. A company official declined to discuss the accident. A federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspector was called to the site to investigate.


Missouri Worker Crushed At Plant

ARMOREL, AR - A Missouri man was crushed to death Friday at a steel-processing plant, Mississippi County officials said. Brandon Johnson, 30, of Caruthersville, Mo., a town in the Missouri Bootheel just north of Mississippi County, died of injuries suffered in the accident at Gibbons Steel shortly before 7:45 a.m., according to reports from the Mississippi County sheriff's office and county Coroner Mike Godsey. 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, removed the table from Johnson and began first-aid procedures. Video


Man dies from earlier injuries

NY - Work-related accident at Wilton Mall claims life of contractor's employee. A man who was severely injured Friday in a work-related accident at Wilton Mall has died from injuries received while repairing a tire on a piece of heavy equipment. Joshua P. Maloney, 24, of Troy, died Sunday at Albany Medical Center Hospital after suffering head trauma when a lock ring on the rim of a tire flew off and hit him in the head. Maloney returned home in September after serving two tours of duty in Iraq as a corporal with the Marine Corps. Saratoga County Sheriff's Deputies said he was working for a contractor at Wilton Mall early Friday and was putting air in the tire of a front loader -- used to clear snow -- when the accident occurred.


Teen Worker Killed at Citrus Grove

GROVELAND, Fla.- The Lake County Sheriff's Office reports that a teenager was killed while working at a citrus grove on Saturday. Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman John Herrell identified the victim as Edilberto Cardenas, 17. Authorities say it was his first day on the job at Hi Acres Grove in Groveland. Witnesses say he had picked some oranges while on his ladder and then came down to empty the bag into a bucket that a truck was about to pick up and empty. As Cardenas walked towards the bucket, the truck struck him as the driver was backing up the vehicle. The driver told deputies he knew the boy was nearby, but did not realize Cardenas was that close until he got out of the truck. Cardenas was transported to South Lake Hospital where he was pronounced dead. An investigation is being conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. There are no charges at this time.


Suspect named in Sumter pizza delivery man's murder

SUMTER, SC - Sumter County investigators are looking for the men who placed a bogus phone call for a pizza delivery, gunned down the deliveryman, and ran off with the food. Police say 20-year-old Daniel Deangelo Jackson will be charged with armed robbery and murder once he is arrested. They say more arrests are expected in the murder. Forty-six-year-old Bill Flexon worked for at Sambino's Pizza in Sumter for four years. The retired military man was known as their best delivery driver.


One Killed and 9 Are Hurt in Blast at Metal Parts Factory

CARLSTADT, N.J. — An explosion at a small metal parts factory flung a man 30 feet, killing him and injuring nine others on Tuesday — three critically — according to the authorities here. The police said that about 8 a.m. a maintenance supervisor at the factory, Tec-Cast Inc., which manufactures aluminum castings, was trying to repair a seal or a gasket in a four-foot-wide pressurized vat when a cast-iron door blew off, striking him. Workers at the factory identified the dead man as Mario Gomez, 61, a Honduran immigrant who lived in Jersey City. The police said that he died at the scene after suffering severe trauma to the head, torso and legs. Nine other workers were also injured as parts of the vat were sprayed in the blast. “It sounded like a bomb went off,” said a worker at the neighboring M.A.B. Paints store, who gave only his first name, Alex. “The next thing I heard was people crying.”


Worker killed in fall Friday at SeverStal's steel plant identified as Downriver man

DEARBORN, MI - Death is the second serious accident at site this year, company officials investigating A 37-year-old Brownstown Township man died early Friday after falling nearly 25 feet while doing routine maintenance work at a steel plant where he was employed. Randall Nichilo died at about 4:30 a.m. at SeverStal North America Inc., which is on Miller Road near Rotunda. Nichilo, who was married and had a daughter, was working in a raw material handling building that's attached to a blast furnace when he fell. Vanessa Denha-Garmo, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, said he died of head injuries. SeverStal spokeswoman Katya Pruett said an internal investigation is ongoing and could take weeks to finish. During that time, she said, the plant remains fully operational.


Worker dies in bridge fall

GOLDENDALE, WA - A construction worker died Tuesday after a vehicle he was driving plunged off the Biggs Bridge, which carries U.S. Highway 97 across the Columbia River in Klickitat County. A witness, Bryan Zapfe, said the man was driving an excavator across the bridge when it went over a guardrail and plunged about 75 feet into the river. The man was apparently knocked unconscious and was in the water for six to seven minutes. The excavator was carrying a heavy steel plate in a work zone on the bridge, where a deck replacement project is under way. The name of the victim was not immediately available. The state Transportation Department said in a news release he was an employee of Mowat Construction Co.


Two workers crushed to death by sheet of steel in Manteo

VA - Two men working on the town's sewer and wastewater project on Bowsertown Road were crushed to death Tuesday when a large piece of steel fell on them. The workers, Tim Bissette of Pikeville, N.C., and Renee Perez of Seven Springs, N.C., were employed by Goldsboro contractor T.A. Loving Co., said Town Manager Kermit Skinner. Their ages were not available. Manteo Police Chief Vance Haskett said the 8-foot-by-20-foot-by-1-inch sheet of steel was being lifted in the air when the wind caught it. The steel twisted on the chain, forcing the chain to snap. Skinner said the men were standing on the bank of a ditch where sewer pipes were being laid when the sheet fell. "It landed flat on them," he said. "It covered them completely." The sheet weighed 3 tons, Skinner said, and the men died instantly.


Worker Dies in Accident at Dearborn's Severstal Steel Plant

DEARBORN, Mich. - Dearborn police are investigating the death of a worker at a Severstal North America Inc. plant. Police Chief Michael Celeski says a worker died Friday morning at the steel plant. Company spokeswoman Katya Pruett says the accident was under investigation and that plant officials were preparing a statement. WJBK-TV reports the male employee fell more than 20 feet at the plant.


Work Stopped At Trump SoHo Tower After Worker's Death

NEW YORK -- One person died Monday after a concrete floor gave out at the construction site for the Trump SoHo condominium hotel, police said. A construction worker fell 40 floors to his death, according to police. Three other construction workers were injured, one of them seriously. Police say the victim is Yurly Vanchytsky of Brooklyn. The buildings department has ordered work to stop following the incident. The incident happened at 246 Spring Street, near Varick Street, at around 1:50 p.m. Monday, authorities said. The workers were pouring concrete onto wooden forms on the 42nd floor of the 45-floor building, according to assistant FDNY Chief Thomas Galvin. The dead worker was on the outer edge of the building, tamping down the concrete to get the air out. When the floor gave out, he fell outside the protective netting all the way down to street level. Another worker was caught in the protective netting, while the two other workers suffered minor injuries. video


House of Flavors co-worker remembered

MI - When House of Flavors employees met Sunday, they shared stories about their friend and co-worker William Eschman. “We were there to honor Bill and to pause and talk about who he is and to communicate what we knew … about the timing of the events that took place,” Whit Gallagher, president of the company, said about gathering the staff after the Eschman’s on-the-job death. He was the kind of person who got along well with others and helped new employees become more comfortable in their jobs, Gallagher said. Eschman, a company truck driver, died Friday morning while he was attempting to unload ice cream at the Summit Township freezer warehouse loading dock. He was pinned by the metal ramp used in the unloading process and was found by a fellow employee


State to look into steel mill death of Belko


IN - The death of a 23-year-old steel worker on Saturday at Arcelor Mittal's East Chicago plant is being investigated by Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Jason Belko of Hobart was crushed to death when he was trapped between an industrial train and another piece of equipment at a blast furnace. Sean Keefer, deputy commissioner for the Indiana Department of Labor, said Monday IOSHA compliance officers are meeting with representatives of ArcelorMittal to discover the cause of the accident.Keefer said the investigation will take about eight weeks. Jeremy Belko, Jason's brother, said he's heard that his brother was doing everything according to protocol.


Woman’s death under investigation


CANTON, OH – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of Verna Benning, 51, of Carrollton, a Timken Co. employee who died Saturday night at the company’s Gambrinus steel mill. Benning died of injuries after she was struck by a straddle truck, according to Stark County Coroner P.S. Murthy. Straddle trucks carry steel through and out of the plant. An OSHA representative was at Timken Monday morning. “We’re in process of investigating,” said Rob Medlock, head of the agency’s Cleveland office. “We don’t really know anything yet” and likely won’t have any statements until the investigation is complete, he said. Medlock said the company was cooperative and both Timken and its union, Steelworkers Local 1123, notified the agency of the accident. “Timken is certainly committed to maintaining a safe work environment for all our associates,” said company spokesman Jeff Dafler. “We’re looking at everything.” Coroner’s investigator Rick Walters said there was little to add to


Workers dies in accident at BP's Texas City refinery


HOUSTON, TX — A man has died from injuries he suffered on the job at the BP refinery in Texas City. BP issued a press release saying the man was injured near the refinery's Ultracracker process unit about 4 p.m. Monday. BP has begun an investigation into the accident and has notified the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Houston Chronicle reported in a story on its Web site Monday. The victim's name has not been released. He died after being taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.


Sad they write more about the train delay than the lost man!
Union Pacific worker killed by train in Waukegan

WAUKEGAN, IL - A Union Pacific employee working as part of a Metra crew was struck and killed by a train Tuesday night in Waukegan, causing major delays along Metra's Union Pacific North line from Chicago to Kenosha. The incident occurred about 7:30 p.m. just south of the Waukegan station, 95 N. Spring St., according to Waukegan Fire Battalion Chief Ricco Farrell. The worker was walking in a switching area when he was struck by a Metra train moving through the yard. Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said the man was dead on the scene. His identity was not being released as of late Tuesday. At least one train was held up in Lake Bluff, and two later trains were canceled. Metra spokesman Patrick Waldron referred all questions to Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis, who did not return calls for comment.


Man Found Dead In Beauty Supply Store

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man found dead in a beauty supply store Monday evening has been identified. The victim was 32-year-old Kyoung Lee. The father of three young children ran the store. Around 6:30 p.m. Monday, Kansas City police got a call from a customer at Beauty City near East 82nd Place and Troost Avenue. The customer found the store ransacked and Lee lying facedown on the floor, police said. "The customer was the one who came into the business and found the man and backed out and called us immediately. Right now we have detectives going inside, combing inside trying to figure out what happened and put this all together," said Capt. Rich Lockhart of the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.


Truck driver burned to death in U.S. 321 collision

OLAR , SC-- The truck driver killed Monday morning in a collision with another 18-wheeler on U.S. 321 near the town of Olar died when the cab of his vehicle burst into flames following impact. Bamberg County Coroner Willard H. "Billy" Duncan on Tuesday identified the deceased driver as James Buchanan of Jacksonville, Fla. He said he did not know Buchanan's age. South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Bob Beres, Troop 7 spokesman, said Buchanan was pronounced dead at the scene after the cab of the truck burned to the ground in the crash that occurred at approximately 11:40 a.m. Buchanan was traveling north on U.S. 321 in a 2005 Mack truck loaded with beer, Beres said. Three other tractor-trailer trucks were traveling south on U.S. 321 at the time -- an empty 2002 Freightliner driven by Willy Telote, 45, of Rincon, Ga.; an empty 2002 Freightliner driven by his brother, Roger Telote, 41, also of Rincon, Ga.; and a 1995 Mack truck loaded with logs driven by Eddie Best, 45, of Orangeburg. Beres said one of the trucks lost a tire and it rolled into the northbound lane and was struck by Buchanan's beer truck. He said the drivers of two of the three southbound 18-wheelers made evasive maneuvers to get out of the way and, in the process, the truck driven by Roger Telote struck Buchanan's northbound truck, causing both trucks to burst into flames. Roger Telote was burned in the crash and was flown by helicopter to the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Beres said. Beres said the S.C. Highway Patrol, along with its Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, is investigating the fatal crash.


Taxi driver shot to death in apparent robbery at Spartanburg car wash

SPARTANBURG, SC - Authorities say a taxi driver has been shot to death while cleaning out his cab at a Spartanburg car wash. Investigators think two men were trying to rob 55-year-old Harvey Wells late Monday night. Authorities say Wells managed to call 911 after he was shot in the chest and said two men attacked him, one of them wearing a mask. Wells died a short time later at the hospital. Co-workers at Yellow Deluxe Cab say Wells had worked for the company for about four years and was a quiet man and an all-around good person.


Worker found dead at Utah Capitol

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - A construction worker was found dead in a crawl space Friday at the Utah state Capitol, where government officials were holding a ceremony to mark the building‘s recent renovation. Foul play was not suspected, but "we‘ll look into every aspect," Roden said. An autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death. Gov. Jon Huntsman and other officials were not aware of the discovery during the Capitol rededication ceremony, the trooper said. "We‘re celebrating the rededication of the people‘s house. To have somebody die puts a damper on (the) events," said Rep. Carl Wimmer, a Republican. The classically designed building is similar to the U.S. Capitol and has been retrofitted with new technology such as wireless Internet and plasma-screen televisions.


Worker Dies in Mich. Pipeline Explosion

RIVER ROUGE, Mich. - An explosion and fire along a gas pipeline killed a contract worker Saturday on an island used by industry near Detroit. Fire erupted while the man was working on a coke oven gas line between a U.S. Steel plant and a DTE Energy Co. plant on Zug Island south of the city, U.S. Steel spokesman John Armstrong said. Officials weren't sure whether a break in the pipeline caused an explosion or if an explosion caused the line to break, Armstrong said. Coke oven gas, made by heating coal, replaces natural gas in the heating of some industrial facilities, Armstrong said. He said a second worker was shaken up and taken to a hospital.


Yuba worker dies in cleanup

CA - A Yuba County public-works employee died Friday following injuries he sustained while removing a fallen tree from a Linda road. Milton Smith, 57, a county employee for 28 years, was struck by a falling branch on Griffith Avenue, just south of North Beale Road, where he was cleaning up debris at about 8:30 a.m. Friday. “Our Yuba County family is profoundly saddened at the loss of Milton and the spirit he brought to his job,” said Yuba County Supervisor Hal Stocker in a prepared statement.


Construction worker dies after fall

BOZEMAN, MT - Investigators are trying to determine how a 43-year-old construction workerfell from a ladder and died of a head injury at a work site near Logan. Ross Yeager, Montana's director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said an inspector would spend three days in Bozeman interviewing employees and witnesses who were at the site Monday morning when the Colorado man fell. The man's name hasn't been released pending notification of his family. The man was working for Colorado-based Meyers & Co., a subcontractor working for the general contractor, Bozeman-based Yellowstone Traditions. The Safety and Health Administration won't release details of its investigation until it determines whether Meyers & Co. will be cited for violating safety standards, Yeager said. Attempts by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle to reach the company Tuesday were unsuccessful. A Yellowstone Traditions employee declined to comment.


Tavern operator accused of killing popular bartender


NY - Police have charged the operator of a Port Richmond bar with the murder of Joseph Seamus O'Neill, a popular bartender from a neighboring taproom. John McLaughlin, 36, the operator of McWhitey's Tavern at Venango and Mercer Streets, was named in a warrant Monday night as the man who fatally beat O'Neill, 60, a native of Ireland who tended bar at My Blue Heaven, said Chief of Detectives Keith Sadler. Authorities were searching for McLaughlin yesterday and asked anyone who knows where he is to call homicide detectives at 215-686-3334. "This is a very brutal homicide," Sadler said, adding that it appeared O'Neill was beaten with an object, possibly a baseball bat. "It was an argument, and this is how he resolved the argument." Sadler said the argument might have been over a "trivial" matter, such as money. O'Neill, known for his distinctive brogue, had finished a bartending shift at Blue Heaven on Wednesday night and stopped by McWhitey's for a drink. When he didn't return home the next day, his wife and brother started looking for him in the neighborhood. Sadler said when the pair saw O'Neill's car parked near McWhitey's on Friday morning, they asked an employee if they could look around. The bar was closed at the time, and the two found O'Neill's body wrapped in a tarpaulin in the basement.

Eastern Kentucky Miner Killed On The Job

It was pointed out that this was not a coal truck but a Rock Truck and I took a look at these babies...they are big.
PIKEVILLE, Ky -
The nation's first mine death of 2008 was reported Tuesday in Kentucky. Federal and state officials say an eastern Kentucky coal truck driver was killed at Blue Ridge surface mine in Letcher County. The mine is operated by the Cumberland River Coal Company, a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Arch Coal. Roy D. Sturgill, 29, of Isom died around 12:45 a.m. after his truck backed over a dumping point and continued to go down the slope, said Kentucky Natural Resources Commissioner Susan Bush. Sturgill was employed by Bates Contracting in Whitesburg. Arch spokeswoman Kim Link said she had no further details. "We wish to extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Sturgill's family, friends and co-workers," Link said. Calls to Bates Contracting were met with a busy signal. Bush said state inspectors in 2007 cited the mine for 24 safetyviolations and issued 19 orders banning the use of specific pieces of equipment, mainly vehicles.


Clatskanie man, 29, killed in logging accident


WA - A Clatskanie logger was killed Monday near Knappa in eastern Clatsop County while clearing trees damaged by the early December storms. Tommy Walker, 29, died when a tree he was falling apparently struck a stump, recoiled and struck Walker in the chest, pinning him against the hillside, according to authorities. He was working with two other loggers a quarter mile from the nearest road. The other men began walking out of the ravine at quitting time but didn't see Walker. He was already dead by the time his co-workers located him when he failed to show. The Clatsop County Sheriff's office said it was unknown how much time had elapsed between the time Walker was injured and the time he was found. "The blown-down trees have got weird tensions in them," said Bud Henderson of Hampton Affiliates, who was among those who helped carry Walker out of the ravine. "You buck them off, and you don't know which way they are going to go."


City asks feds to investigate

PA - City officials have asked the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to investigate the accident that electrocuted Capt. James Robeson and injured three other firefighters. The probe by the federal agency’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program won’t be quick — there may be no answers for six months or more — but Public Safety Director Ray Hayes promised it will be thorough. “It’s independent and it’s professional,” Mr. Hayes said of the agency. The request to NIOSH came as state police wrapped up its limited investigation of Sunday’s fire at 808-810 Ash St. that also killed homeowners W. Richard and Maria Fenstermacher. State police concluded the fire was not suspicious and Capt. Robeson’s death was an accident. Capt. Robeson was electrocuted Sunday morning when the ladder truck bucket he was in apparently came into contact with a 12,000-volt power line at the front of the home. PPL Electric Utilities cut off power to the house from McKenna Court, but lines along Ash Street remained energized.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Having recently suffered an injury due to an accident at work I am considering my options, due to the injury I have been unable to work and have not been receiving sick pay, does my boss have an option to pay me or is it dependent on circumstance? I can’t afford not to have money coming in but can’t work should I sue him or do I need a legal professional to speak to him for me? I have seen all those adverts on television about industrial accidents and people for silly amounts of money, am I entitled to a claim, I don’t want to post personal details but I was working away and fell off something because the support wasn’t secure and broke and I have injured myself!

Tammy said...

Was there a report filed at your work?
How long have you been off work?
Did you see a doctor?
this is is a really good guide
http://www.usmwf.org/articles/2004-2006/14steps.htm

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