Weekly Toll: Death In The American Workplace

Restaurant employee killed in robbery

TN - An employee of a local restaurant was killed early Sunday morning during a robbery attempt, Murfreesboro police said. The employee at the O’Charley’s restaurant on Memorial Boulevard was counting money around midnight when a masked gunman stormed into the restaurant, went straight to the manager and demanded cash. After the employee gave the suspect the cash, the suspect opened fire, hitting the victim several times. “There were multiple shots fired and the store manager was hit multiple times,” Murfreesboro Police spokesman Kyle Evans told Nashville television stations. Evans said the victim was transported to Middle Tennessee Medical Center, then transferred by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he later died. Murfreesboro Police seek information from any possible witnesses to the shooting.


Worker Dies At Iowa Construction Site

IA - A Glenwood, Iowa man died Saturday after being injured when a crane at a gas pipeline construction site in Pacific Junction collapsed and crushed him. The Mills County Sheriff's Department says 54-year-old Charles Heitman later died at Creighton Medical Center in Omaha. He was trapped beneath the crane when it fell. Mills County Sgt. Bruce Paulsen says the accident occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. at the site of a construction project, which appeared to involve installation of a gas pipeline south of Glenwood. Paulsen says Heitman was an employee with WHC Inc. of Lafayette, Louisiana.


Gunman Sought in Deadly Store Shooting

TINLEY PARK, Ill. (AP) — As police continued their search Sunday for a gunman who killed five women at a suburban Chicago strip mall a day earlier, passers-by erected a memorial of five white crosses and flowers to the victims. Police released few details about the Saturday shooting at the Lane Bryant clothing store. Investigators believed it was a robbery that was interrupted, but declined to say how it was stopped or who called 911. "This has been an extremely sensitive investigation," police Chief Mike O'Connell said. Police asked for the public's help. The department would not confirm media reports Sunday that a sixth woman was shot and survived the attack at strip mall southwest of downtown Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, citing unnamed sources, said in stories posted on their Web sites that the survivor was treated at a hospital. The Sun-Times reported that the woman was released Sunday afternoon. St. James Hospital spokeswoman Sherry Sissac confirmed that the facility received one female shooting victim Saturday but declined to give further information. "We have not disclosed any information regarding the condition," she said Sunday. "We are not allowed to address any information involving a criminal investigation." The five women — a manager and four customers — were herded into the back room of the store and killed shortly after it opened, authorities have said. The Will County coroner's office said all five died from gunshot wounds. The victims were identified as Connie R. Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; Sarah T. Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; Carrie H. Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort; Rhoda McFarland, 42, of Joliet; and Jennifer L. Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Ind.


Worker crushed in San Diego shipyard

SAN DIEGO, CA — Authorities say a shipyard machinist has died after he was crushed while working on a dry dock near the Broadway Pier in San Diego. Orlando Heredia, 36, of San Diego, died Saturday when he was crushed between a heavy lift crane and a metal beam, San Diego Harbor Police Corporal Mario Martinez said. No one else was injured, and the accident is under investigation.


Oil Rig Employee Dies in Gulf

TX - A man working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico died Saturday morning. The Coast Guard said the Wood Group Production Services employee somehow ended up in the water near Rig 969 about 60 miles south of Corpus Christi and 20 miles into the gulf. According to the Coast Guard, the man was wearing a life jacket but cold water, fast winds and high waves likely caused his death.


Murder in a Madera County Milk Barn

CA - A Madera County dairy worker was shot to death overnight, just as he reported for his first day of work. It happened just before midnight at a dairy on Avenue 24 near road 6 in Chowchilla. Sheriff's Deputies say the shooters hit 18-year-old Ivan Torres and another co-worker in the dairy's milk barn. They have no idea what the motive may be, but they know the two victims didn't even know each other before last night. The other victim is in the hospital. The Torres case is the first murder investigation for Madera County Sheriffs this year.


City police officer dies in line of duty

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — A Corpus Christi police officer died Sunday after a car accident while he was on the way to an assault call. Matthew Thebeau, 25, who had been with the department for nearly two years, was traveling southbound on Crosstown Expressway near Baldwin Boulevard about 2:30 a.m. when a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed started to go out of control, witnesses told police. Witnesses said Thebeau appeared to try to avoid a collision with the motorcyclist. Thebeau's patrol car struck the barrier dividing the northbound and southbound lanes of Crosstown Expressway, straddling it and sliding along it for about 50 yards until it struck a light pole and I-beam supporting a highway sign, Police Chief Bryan Smith said.


OSHA Investigating Worker's Death

DAVY, W.Va. - The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a man at a McDowell County metal processing plant. Authorities say 46-year-old Mohegan resident Robert Lee Pack died after after an accident at Urps Metal in Davy. Pack's sister, Sally Duncan, says he was taken to Welch Community Hospital on Thursday. Stan Elliott, director of the OSHA office in Charleston, confirmed that the agency is investigating. But OSHA did not release any other information.


Longtime lawman dies on the job

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - Sheriff Ben Johnson's oldest deputy, and a lawman for 40 years, died on the job Monday morning. Richard Atkins, a 65-year-old deputy at Daytona Beach International Airport who recently said the word "retirement" was not in his vocabulary, died at Halifax Health Medical Center just before 5 a.m., said sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson. The veteran police officer had been found by another deputy at a desk, in front of a bank of surveillance cameras inside the law enforcement office at the airport. Atkins had worked at the airport since 2000.


Officials probe midair collision that killed man in car dealership

LOS ANGELES, California - Paint markings found on pieces of two planes that collided over suburban Los Angeles indicate the nose of one aircraft slammed into the middle fuselage of the other, according to a federal investigator. Five people died in the accident in Corona, California, including a man on the ground who was killed when one plane's engine crashed through the roof of a car dealership where he worked, said National Transportation Safety Board investigator Wayne Pollack. The NTSB, assisted by FBI evidence experts, completed the cleanup of wreckage and body parts that were spread over a commercial area of car dealerships, restaurants and other businesses near the Riverside Freeway Monday afternoon. The car dealership employee who died was Earl Smiddy, 58, from Moreno Valley, California, the coroner said.


Manager slain in San Mateo restaurant

SAN MATEO, CA - The night manager of a T.G.I. Friday's in San Mateo was killed during an apparent robbery attempt early Monday, and his bloody body left for a colleague to discover when he arrived for work, police and co-workers said. The restaurant's day manager found Douglas Castello on the floor about 5:15 a.m., police Lt. Mike Brunicardi said. Police were saying little about how Castello died, other than that the 36-year-old Hayward resident suffered obvious head trauma. A waiter at the restaurant, Akeem Holland, said Castello was still on the job, supervising the closing crew, when Holland left the restaurant at 3101 El Camino Real at 2:30 a.m. Monday. The restaurant had closed 90 minutes earlier. "We see him every day. He's a good guy," Holland said of Castello. "You just wouldn't think that would ever happen. I mean, San Mateo's pretty safe."


Belle Glade man dies after tractor falls into Canal

FL - A tractor operator died Monday after he lost control of his vehicle and plunged into a canal near Belle Glade, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Earl McIntosh, 67, of Belle Glade, died shortly after deputies found him along the canal in the 29000 block of Browns Farm Road around 12:30 p.m., Sheriff's Office spokesman Paul Miller said. Investigators said McIntosh jumped off the tractor as it hit the water, Miller said. He hurt his leg and was conscious for a while. But then he lost his pulse, and deputies and McIntosh's co-worker performed CPR on him. He died on the way to Glades General Hospital in Belle Glade.


Sheriff Investigate Magnus Metals Worker's Death as a Homicide

Fremont, NE - Magnus Metals worker Rod Saltzman, says the death of Peter Venneman was unbelievable and painful for coworkers who tried to keep him alive right in front of where they work. "It was pretty hard to tell where the blood was coming from because there was a lot of it," says Saltzman. They thought Venneman collapsed 6:00 Monday morning after walking to work. Coworkers think he walked because his car would not start. The Dodge County Sheriff is investigating Venneman's death as a homicide, because early autopsy reports say there were blows to his head. Investigators were seen taking video captured by surveillance cameras across the street from where Venneman was found. Action 3 News has also learned investigators have a witness who may have seen what happened to Vanneman in the parking lot.


Federal expert probing death of firefighter with video

PA - A federal investigator arrived in Scranton on Tuesday to start an independent probe of the death of firefighter Capt. James Robeson.Richard Braddee, an official with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, began his fieldwork with a morning meeting among top-level city officials, including Public Safety Director Ray Hayes, Fire Chief Tom Davis and Capt. Dave Schreiber, president of the firefighters union. “We welcome the investigation for a number of reasons,” Mr. Hayes said. “It’s an opportunity to take a critical look at the department and operations.” Capt. Robeson was electrocuted Jan. 6 by a jolt from a 12,000-volt power line while fighting a fire at 808-810 Ash St. that killed residents W. Richard and Maria Fenster-macher. The accident happened as he ascended in the bucket of a ladder truck in front of the residence. Much of NIOSH’s investigation will focus on the circumstances involving the electrocution and not on the fire call itself, said Tim Merinar, project officer for NIOSH’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program. “We don’t try to find fault or place blame,” he said. “We’re trying to identify the facts as they happened and present recommendations to prevent it from happening again.”


5-story fall kills Perth Amboyan in Jersey City

PERTH AMBOY, NJ - A 38-year- old Perth Amboy resident was killed Tuesday when he fell five stories while working at a construction site in Jersey City. Humberto Nunez, an employee with Edison Heating and Cooling, reportedly plunged 30 feet around 10:30 a.m. and was found under a pile of cinder blocks. Nunez's wife of nearly two decades, Daisy Luna, was still trying to get details on his death on Tuesday evening, and said she had been unable to see his body. "We're so confused right now because we don't know what happened," said Nunez's 15-year-old son, also named Humberto Nunez. Nunez had only recently started working with Edison but had previous experience installing and maintaining commercial air-conditioning systems.


Construction Worker Killed in El Paso Accident

TX - 26-year-old construction worker was killed in El Paso after being run over by a bulldozer. The construction accident happened at Paragon and Mesa Street. The construction workers were repairing an arroyo. "Firefighters arrived. They found a 26-year-old male unconscious. He was unresponsive. They initiated CPR and resuscitation measures. They transported him to a hospital," said Lt. Mario Hernandez with the El Paso Fire Department. It happened just before 2 p.m. Monday afternoon. According to authorities, the accident involved a man working for Tapia Construction, one of the subcontractors doing concrete work at the site. Despite efforts made at the hospital, they were unable to save him.


Former Marine, Derry High School Grad, Killed In Construction Site Accident, Victim Fell 20 Feet When Scaffolding Collapsed

MONROEVILLE, Pa. - After hours on the scene of a tragic accident at an industrial park in Monroeville Tuesday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported that gusting winds caused a scaffold to collapse, sending one worker 20 feet to his death. Monroeville police said several contractors were working on the exterior of a building on Jamison Lane when the collapse occured. William Bracken, 42, of Derry suffered serious injuries in the fall and was in cardiac arrest when police arrived. He was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead. General contractor for the site is Burchick Construction Company of Pittsburgh. Bracken was a memeber of Local Union 1451, and was employed by Kusler Masonry of Carnegie for six years. Burchick company spokesperson Michelle Merlo called the tragedy, "An act of God."


Central Illinois farmer dies after being crushed in hog feed grinder

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. --Authorities say a central Illinois farmer has died after becoming trapped in equipment used to grind hog feed. McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling says Adam Denzer of Danvers was filling buckets with feed from a grinder-mixer when his clothes caught on a cylindrical shaft between the device and a tractor. Kimmerling says the preliminary cause of death for the 43-year-old is compressional asphyxiation due to entrapment. Denzer's wife found him unresponsive around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday at his father's farm west of Normal. Officials say it was normal for Denzer to stay overnight at the farm while hogs gave birth.


Trench collapse kills Corydon man

IN - A man digging a trench for a waterline on a farm near Lanesville died Tuesday when a wall of the 12-foot-deep trench collapsed on him. Lanesville Fire Lt. Tony Combs said victim, Christopher Hauswald, 32, of Corydon, was pronounced dead soon after the first emergency crew arrived at 9:20 a.m. at the site off Turley Road. Two trench-rescue teams from Louisville arrived shortly after 11 a.m. to begin efforts to recover the body. Lt. Col. Al Tronzo of Louisville Fire & Rescue said about 30 to 40 feet of the trench wall collapsed.


Man shot at Oakland taco truck succumbs to wounds

OAKLAND, CA - Abel Martinez-Mejia was a frequent lunch customer at the taco truck that's often parked at San Leandro Street and 85th Avenue. The truck was not far from his employer, the food was good and inexpensive and it was usually a safe place. Until Tuesday. That's when the 41-year-old father of four was fatally shot by one of four robbers who confronted him just before noon while he was getting his lunch from the mobile eatery. The suspects demanded money from Martinez-Mejia; when he refused, he was shot, Oakland police Sgt. Tony Jones said. The suspects fled without taking anything. Martinez-Mejia, a Richmond resident who worked as a truck driver for Standard Iron and Metal Co., at 4525 San Leandro St., was hit more than once and died from his wounds at 1:40 a.m. Wednesday at Highland Hospital, officials said.


Worker Killed at Construction Site of Tuscaloosa's New Water Treatment Plant

AL - Police say Ryan Lawrence, 27, of Bremen was testing a water line when the huge steel pipe, weighing thousands of pounds, fell and crushed him. Lawrence was taken to DCH regional Medical Center where he died. The accident occurred at around 9 A.M. at Tuscaloosa’s new water treatment plant. Lawrence was employed by Birmingham based Brasfield and Gorrie.


Laurens worker killed after forklift overturns

LAURENS, SC - A worker at a Laurens plant has died after a forklift overturned on him. Authorities say 51-year-old Allen Mosley was driving a forklift when it got stuck in the mud Thursday afternoon outside the Kimura plant. The coroner's office says other workers were trying to use a second forklift to free the stuck machine when it overturned on Mosley, killing him instantly.


Worker, 21, dies as crane hits power line

Port Washington, WA - A 21-year-old employee (Travis Tappa) at Voeller Mixers Inc., 455 N. Moore Road, died Thursday when a crane he had been working near touched a high-voltage electric line, Port Washington police said. Ozaukee County Coroner John Holicek identified the man as Travis Tappa of Port Washington. An autopsy will be conducted today to determine the cause of death. The crane was attempting to lift a concrete mixer at the south end of a parking lot when it came in contact with a power line carrying 4,800 volts of electricity, said Brian Manthey, a We Energies spokesman. By comparison, the electric lines coming into homes carry about 120 volts. The power line was 30 to 35 feet off the ground, Manthey said. Tappa was on the mixer that was to be moved by the crane, said police Capt. Michael Keller.


Warrensburg man dies in industrial accident in Sedalia plant

SEDALIA, Mo. - A Warrensburg man was killed in an industrial accident here Tuesday evening. Pettis County Coroner Robert "Skip" Smith identified the worker as Robert Hursman, 31, of rural Warrensburg. He said Hursman, a machine operator, died of massive injuries to his head and upper body when he became entangled in a machine that braids wire rope at the Wire Rope Corporation of America plant here. The accident was reported in a 911 call at 6:22 p.m. Hursman was dead when emergncy personnel arrived, Smith said.


Man dies after being struck by dump truck at power plant

MAIDSVILLE, WV - A Morgantown man is dead after being struck by a large dump truck at Allegheny Energy's Fort Martin Power Plant near Maidsville. Twenty-five-year-old Jason J. Hall died at Ruby Memorial Hospital after Thursday's accident. Investigators say he was cleaning out an ash silo when he was hit by the loaded truck. Hall was an employee of Coresco, an ash disposal company based in Morgantown that has been a subcontractor at Fort Martin for more than seven years. Police say the truck is owned by ABZ Transport, which along with Coresco, is owned and operated by Laurita Contracting of Morgantown


Forklift driver killed in accident at recycling facility

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Federal authorities are investigating an accident that claimed the life of a forklift operator at a recycling facility. Authorities say an employee was operating a forklift at the Max Brock Co.'s Buffalo Bale Tie & Wire plant early Thursday afternoon when the vehicle fell off a loading dock. Officials say the employee was turning the forklift around when the accident occurred. The man was crushed by the forklift and died at the scene. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.


Christmas Tree Farmer and Two Others Killed

NC - Police this morning are working to figure out what happened to a well known Christmas tree farmer and two other men who were found dead. The bodies of Ron Hudler, his son Fred, and another worker were found on one of the farms early Thursday morning. One of his trees was picked to go to the White House in 1995. The bodies were found just across the state line from Ashe County, off Route 16 in Grayson County, Virginia. Detectives are interviewing dozens of employees right now. We'll let you know as soon as we get any new information.


CONSTRUCTION WORKER KILLED ON I-75

GA - A road construction worker died Thursday afternoon after being struck by a Florida man driving on a suspended license. Juan Lopez of Buford was working in a cordoned off area of an emergency lane on I-75 South near I-475 when he was hit by Dennis Berry, who said he lost control of his car due to a tire failure. Berry was arrested on two charges, vehicular homicide & driving on a suspended license. The case is under investigation.


Worker killed in tractor incident

FL - An employee for the Wakulla County Public Works Department died Friday morning after being crushed by a tractor in a work-related incident. Aubrey W. Lawhon, 65, and a pedestrian attempted to jump-start a county-owned tractor about 10 a.m. on Wakulla Aaron Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Ben Pingree, the Wakulla County administrator, said investigators believe Lawhon was under the hood of the tractor when the engine started. "I don't know what he was doing but he didn't realize it was in gear," he said. The rear wheels ran over Lawhon and the tractor continued forward and hit an unoccupied 2000 Chevy pickup truck.


Family identifies man killed in loading dock accident

NY - A worker was killed in an industrial accident Thursday afternoon at a Metcalf Street recycling facility, Buffalo police said. Joseph Gronowski, 54, was operating a forklift when it went off a loading dock at about 12:15 p.m. Gronowski apparently attempted to jump from the vehicle to escape the fall; however, the vehicle landed on him, authorities said. Relatives identified Gronowski as the victim and said he had worked at the recycling facility for the past two years. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.


Popular bus driver dies after collapsing on route

TX - 12-year-old girl puts on brake, calls 911 for help. The bright yellow school bus No. 71 that Linda Kaminski drove for eight years will take a special ride in her honor Monday. Channelview ISD transportation workers plan to take the bus to Kaminski's funeral. The ride is in memory of her long service and how her passengers were unharmed after she lost consciousness and slumped over the steering wheel Thursday morning. Only a side mirror was damaged when her bus rolled through an intersection in the Sterling Green subdivision at 7:25 a.m. The bus then jumped a curb and bumped a construction sign before coming to a halt, authorities said. Video from the security camera on the bus shows that after the bus came to a halt, a seventh-grade girl, whom school officials have not identified, pushed a button for the emergency brake. She then took Kaminski's cell phone and dialed 911, said Lt. Dennis Whitted of the Precinct 3 Constable's Office.


Shooting suspect describes hostile divorce

FL - A man forced his way into a bathroom at a Cape Coral day care center Friday before allegedly shooting his wife in front of toddlers, according to Cape Coral Police. New information released about a fatal shooting Friday at Bobbie Noonan’s Child Care alleges Robert Harold Dunn, 44, climbed the fence in back of the center and moved past other adults in the building as he hunted down his estranged wife Christine Marie Lozier Dunn, 36. Witnesses say Robert Dunn found Christine Dunn, a teacher at the school, hiding in a bathroom with her class, according to a report by Cape Coral police Detective Kurtis Grau.



Officer in Scuffle Killed by Police in White Plains

NY - An off-duty Mount Vernon, N.Y., police officer was shot and killed in downtown White Plains on Friday evening after he pulled his gun on another man and was fired at by Westchester County police officers, the authorities said. The slain officer, Christopher Ridley, 23, who witnesses said was not in uniform, was killed after a scuffle with two men outside the district offices of the Westchester County Department of Social Services at 85 Court Street, which sits next to a busy shopping mall in the heart of White Plains. The shooting came at a time when serious crimes in the city had reached their lowest levels in more than four decades.


Roswell store employee shot to death

GA - An employee at a Roswell grocery store was shot and killed Saturday night in an apparent robbery, police reported. Three female workers and a customer were in the Azteca grocery, 1230 Alpharetta St., at 8:52 p.m. when two armed men entered, said Roswell Police Department Lt. James McGee. counting the night's receipts, and one of them shot her in the chest, McGee said. The men then fled, leaving cash strewn on the floor, he said. It was not immediately known how much, if any, money was taken.


Taxi cab driver killed in accident with ambulance

NORTH PEKIN, IL - A taxi cab driver is dead after an accident in North Pekin Saturday morning. The Peoria County coroner says 48-year-old Mary Heath died when the Yellow Checker Taxi Cab she was driving collided with an Advanced Medical Transport Ambulance. It happened just before 5a.m. Police say Heath was traveling South on Route 29 when she turned in front of the ambulance and was struck. She was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center where she was pronounced dead about an hour later. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. North Pekin Police are investigating.


EMT dies in accident

MI - Fellow emergency medical technicians said Cheryl Kiefer was always willing to come in to work whenever she was needed. She did just that early Saturday morning, volunteering to transport a patient between hospitals in Oakland County. She never made it home. Kiefer, 23, of Brooklyn and her partner from Jackson Community Ambulance were on their way back to Jackson when they stopped to assist a woman whose truck had spun into the ditch on I-94 near the Kalmbach Road exit in Sylvan Township. Shortly after 6 a.m., another driver lost control of his SUV, which rolled over on top of Kiefer, pinning her between the two vehicles.


Worker found dead in Finksburg video store

MD - Maryland State Police are investigating the death of a Carroll County man. The body of Gary L. Hatfield, 54, of the 3300 block of Oak St. in Manchester was found late Saturday night near a counter at the back of H and D Movie Sales in the 2000 block of Suffolk Road in Finksburg, police said. Hatfield worked at the video store. Police were called to the scene about 11 p.m. by members of Hatfield's family, who had been looking for him at the store after he didn't return home at the usual time, police said. The store closes at 10 p.m. The cause of death had not been determined yesterday, but police said they are treating the death as a possible homicide.


Newspaper carrier dies while on the job

CA - Jeffrey Dale Tremayne, 45, of Grass Valley, died early Friday morning of a heart attack while delivering newspapers for The Union, sheriff's officials said. Sacramento Bee newspaper carrier and Grass Valley resident Ellis "Teed" Palmer, 79, found Tremayne lying on his stomach in the snow on Brunswick Pines Road at about 4:45 a.m., he said. "I got out to check on him, and I tried to find a pulse," Palmer said. "He was cold." Tremayne was an independent contractor for The Union who delivered newspapers on three separate routes during the early morning hours, said The Union Home Delivery Manager Carolyn Gibson.


Officer's death shocks New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - Hundreds of officers, some from as far away as Colorado, turned out Friday along with New Orleans residents to mourn slain police officer Nicola Cotton -- whose violent death has shaken the city. An autopsy showed Cotton, 24, was eight weeks pregnant when she was killed. On Monday, she stopped a man matching the description of a rape suspect, and a struggle ensued as she tried to arrest him. The man, 44-year-old Bernel Johnson, grabbed Cotton's baton and beat her, New Orleans police said. Surveillance video showed him grabbing her service revolver, a .40-caliber Glock, and shooting her 15 times in the head and body. Johnson waited until police arrived on the scene and gave them the firearm. On Friday, mourners formed a line snaking around the block as they waited to file past Cotton's flag-draped coffin.


Utah Truck Driver Killed In I-80 Accident

UT - A truck driver from Trenton, Utah was killed in a one vehicle accident at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24 on Interstate 80 in Cedar county. The Iowa State Patrol said Steven Andrew Cronin, 47, was eastbound on I-80, near the eastbound rest area, when his truck went off the north side of the road and struck several trees. The patrol said Cronin’s truck had been in the south lane and for unknown reasons crossed both lanes before going into the median, down an embankment and into the trees. The impact destroyed the cab of the 2008 Volvo truck, owned by L. W. Miller Transportation Holdings Inc. of Logan, Utah. Steven Cronin was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was taken to Bentley Funeral Home in Wilton.


Worker Crushed, Killed By Machinery On Golf Course

JOLIET, Ill. - Authorities said a Joliet Park District mechanic died after he was crushed by a piece of heavy machinery near a maintenance shed at a district golf course. Voyle Williams, 50, was pronounced dead at Silver Cross Hospital. Police Chief Fred Hayes said Williams was crushed Tuesday by the bucket of a dirt-moving machine. Williams was working on the equipment at Woodruff Golf Course at the time of the accident. Authorities said the bucket was raised and was supposed to be locked by a safety mechanism, but it descended and crushed Williams.


Woman fatally shot in Roswell store robbery

GA - Lydia Alvarado and her family moved from Chicago to escape the crime, her brother said Monday. Now the family is trying to help police determine why Alvarado was gunned down Saturday night at her store in Roswell. Alvarado's brother, Raul Macias, said he and another family member were at the now-closed store Monday morning to reconcile the books and report to police how much money was taken. The store, which had a check-cashing service and could handle money wire transfers, typically had "tens of thousands of dollars" on hand, Macias said. He said he's convinced robbery was the motive for the fatal shooting of his 39-year-old sister, although police say they are not ready to conclude that it was the primary reason. Macias said the family had been considering closing the store once the current lease expired, and that it has no plans for reopening.


Service honors border agent killed on job

YUMA — A U.S. Border Patrol agent killed over the weekend when he was run over by a suspected drug smuggler was honored at a memorial service Thursday. Law enforcement officers from across the Southwest filled the Yuma Civic Center to remember Senior Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar. The 32-year-old agent was killed Saturday while trying to place spike strips in front of a Hummer fleeing other agents in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area in southeastern California, about 20 miles west of Yuma.


Alpharetta woman dies in Roswell store robbery

ROSWELL, GA -- An Alpharetta woman died after being shot Saturday night in an armed robbery at the Azteca grocery store on Alpharetta Highway (Ga. 9). During the robbery, the owner of the business, Lidia Alvarado, 39 was shot in the chest. She died at North Fulton Regional Hospital. Lt. James McGee, a spokesman for the Roswell Police Department, said the fact Alvarado was shot while providing no resistance and before any money was taken gives police pause. In addition, reports indicate at least one of the men called her by name before the shooting.


Man killed in 100-foot fall from oil rig

GALVESTON — A Louisiana man died Monday morning after falling off an oil rig. Thomas Broussard was a welder from Church Point, La., and worked for Frank’s Casing Crew and Rental Tools, a Louisiana-based company that provides engineering services and employs about 2,000 workers. Broussard was working on a welding project on the Hercules 251, about four miles south of Galveston island, when a piece of metal plating came loose and knocked him off the rig, according to reports from the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office. Broussard fell about 100 feet before hitting the water. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:30 a.m.


Restaurant owner killed; suspect at large

WA - When his former business partner was gunned down in 2003, Degene Barecha vowed to continue their successful Central Area cheese-steak restaurant. Barecha believed that failing to do so would tarnish the memory of Troy Hackett, whose slaying on a Seattle street has not been solved, said Barecha's niece, Kulla Jatani. Barecha, 32, worked tirelessly seven days a week to become Seattle's best cheese steak chef, Jatani said. He dreamed of franchising his Philadelphia Cheese Steak restaurant and, most of all, happiness with his new bride, Meselech Edema, who was to immigrate here from Ethiopia in June.


Woman crushed to death was pregnant

SAN FRANCISCO, CA- The San Francisco printing plant operator who was killed when a heavy-duty cutting machine crushed her was pregnant with her second child and had shared the news with co-workers hours earlier, rescue officials and relatives said Wednesday. Margarita Mojica of Oakland, a 26-year-old employee of Digital Pre-Press International on the edge of Potrero Hill, was about four months into her pregnancy, said her younger sister, Maria Mojica. Margarita Mojica emigrated from Mexico as a teenager and met her husband while working for another Bay Area printer. She had a 6-year-old daughter and had been looking forward to having a second child after suffering a miscarriage last year, her sister said. "I feel terrible because I was so close to her. We were always together," said Maria Mojica, an Oakland resident who struggled to talk through tears. She said she had unanswered questions about whether the fetus could have been saved after her sister became entangled in the machine Tuesday morning and was crushed.


Capitol worker was electrocuted

UT - An exposed wire was above the body found on day of the rededication. The man who died on the job Jan. 4 before the rededication of the newly restored state Capitol was accidentally electrocuted. John David Welsh, 30, of Layton, was found dead at the Capitol in a basement crawl space at about 2 p.m. The Utah Highway Patrol said Tuesday that troopers and medical personnel discovered an exposed electrical wire above his body. The Utah medical examiner's office determined the cause of death as accidental electrocution, said UHP spokesman Cameron Roden. Utah Occupational Safety and Health is still investigating elements of the case to determine how the electrocution happened, said UOSH consultation manager Louis Silva. The investigation will help them determine whether the employee or employer or someone else was responsible and whether a violation occurred, Silva said. Welsh's survivors remembered him in his obituary as a hard worker who took pride in his final job. He worked for a mechanical and plumbing subcontractor, Halverson Mechanical.


Construction Worker Who Fell From Ladder Had Heart Attack

KY - A contractor who died Wednesday afternoon after falling from a ladder in downtown Nicholasville suffered a heart attack before the fall, according to the coroner. The accident happened at around 2:30 p.m. at the construction site for the new Goodwill store on North Main Street. Police say the independent contractor fell from a ladder and struck his head. He was taken to a Lexington hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The man's name is not being released until his family is notified of his death.


Construction worker dies after 40-foot fall; second worker hurt

OMAHA, NE - A construction worker died and another was critically hurt after both fell 40 feet while working at the site of a future Wal-Mart, police said Sunday. Police said the workers were attaching roof panels just after noon when one gave way, causing the workers to fall 40 feet onto some metal. Both workers were taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in very critical condition, where one died and the other remained in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, police said. The names of the workers were not been released as police worked to notify their relatives. A hospital official said she could not comment on the injuries or update the status of the worker in critical condition until police release their names. The workers were employees of Edgewood, Texas-based D & BR Building Systems Inc. Attempts to reach company officials by The Associated Press were unsuccessful. Wal-Mart officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


Carnival worker, 15, killed after hit by ride

VICTORIA, Texas - A 15-year-old carnival worker died after being hit in the head by a piece of a ride that was being taken down in Victoria. Her father said Kelly Huff lived in Alvin, but traveled to Victoria with a friend for work with Blue Ribbon Entertainment of Houston. Workers were dismantling the "Hammer Slammer" on Sunday as a piece fell onto Huff's head. She died later at a Victoria hospital. According to Texas inspection records, the ride's yearly inspection expired in July 2007. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating Huff's death. A message left by The Associated Press for Blue Ribbon Entertainment wasn't immediately returned.


1 Dead in Calif. Demolition Accident

SAN FRANCISCO — A boiler at an abandoned power substation fell during a demolition project Monday, killing a worker, seriously injuring another and sending firefighters scrambling to free a third who was trapped. Crews were working to reach the trapped person, Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. The area was strewn with debris, and about a dozen emergency vehicles were lined up. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesman David Eisenhower said he could not immediately provide any details about the accident or the building. The power plant had recently been decommissioned, he said. "Our first concern, our main concern, is with the welfare of the folks out there," Eisenhower said.


Worker, 20, dies in Ormond parking lot

FL - A Kissimmee man working in an Ormond Beach store parking lot died Thursday afternoon. Ryan Mathew Vierra, 20, was working on the large parking lot lights in the Lowe's parking lot at 11:30 a.m. when an employee heard a noise and saw him slump over, unresponsive, police said. "We thought he might have been electrocuted," said Mark O'Keefe, EVAC ambulance spokesman. "But the medical examiner is investigating and will make that determination." Vierra was working in an elevated bucket near one of the light poles when the Lowe's employee saw him and called out to him. The truck belonged to J&D Associates of Georgia.


SCHP Trooper killed in accident

COLUMBIA, SC - A South Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper was killed Friday morning in an accident when his vehicle skidded off a wet road and hit a utility pole. Highway Patrol spokesperson Sid Gaulden says 38-year-old Lance Corporal James Haynes died in a car accident around 3:30am Friday on Highway 33 heading out of Orangeburg towards Cameron. Gaulden says Lance Corporal Haynes was driving on state Highway 33 to a crash involving two tractor-trailers. Gaulden says Haynes' car overturned several times and then hit a utility pole. Gaulden did not know how fast the trooper was driving.


Siler City man crushed under shed dies

SANFORD, NC — A Siler City man died Thursday, one day after a shed fell on him, Sanford Police said. Scott Allen, 26, an employee of the The Shed Depot of North Carolina in Sanford, was working under a storage building when the shed fell on top of him. Capt. David Smith, of the Sanford Police, said Allen was trying to repair some boards underneath the shed when it collapsed, crushing him under about 5,000 pounds of weight. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.


Police Say Store Owner Killed With Own Gun In Struggle

LORAIN, Ohio - Emotions are still raw in Lorain, where a beloved neighborhood grocer was shot and killed during a robbery attempt last week. Police now say Jose Gonzalez was killed with his own gun. The outpouring of love for Mr. G, as the storeowner was called, is overwhelming. People are still stopping by a week after the shooting to leave tokens of condolence at a memorial that stretches the entire length of Gonzalez's store. Police said Gonzalez had a gun in the store for protection, but apparently there was a struggle and the suspect got the gun away from him.


One Worker Killed, One Injured in Clinton Hill Construction Accident

CLINTON HILL, NY — One construction worker was killed and another injured yesterday morning after high winds blew them off the 13th-story scaffolding of a Clinton Hill residential high-rise. Police said that construction worker Jose Palacios, 43, of Queens, was pronounced dead on the scene when he was blown off the scaffolding around the 13th floor of 525 Clinton Ave., a residential high-rise under construction in the neighborhood. Palacios fell to the ground, killing him instantly, police said. Another worker was knocked onto a 10th-story ledge and is now in critical condition at Brooklyn Hospital in Fort Greene. The Department of Buildings released an inclement weather advisory, warning builders to take caution because of high winds predicted to be between 20 and 30 miles per hour. Representatives from building developer Clinton Court Development LLC, owned by David Weiss, were not available to comment yesterday. Weiss purchased the property in 2005, and construction firm Glickman Engineering began work on the planned 30-unit high-rise in 2006.


Man killed in fiery crash now believed to be the driver

FORT WORTH, TX- Police now suspect that a man killed Friday night in a fiery tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 35W was the truck's driver and not a passenger, as was first believed. The victim, who had still not been positively identified as of Tuesday, was found underneath a Caterpillar road grader that the truck had been hauling when witnesses say it drifted out of its lane and into a concrete barrier near the Sycamore School Road exit. Brian Frye, 34, suffered burns and remained in fair condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas on Tuesday. The force of the crash threw the road grader onto the roadway and ruptured the truck's fuel cell. "They had just filled that truck completely with diesel fuel, and the tank for that Caterpillar was full of diesel fuel," said Sgt. Rodney Bangs of the police traffic investigation unit. "That fire burned for a very long time. [Firefighters] were on the scene a very long time before they realized there was a second person there." Authorities initially believed that Frye was the driver and that the dead man had been a passenger riding on the flatbed trailer.


Worker killed in collision on tarmac at Hartsfield

GA - An airport ramp worker was killed Thursday night when the vehicle he was driving collided with another vehicle on the tarmac at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The 19-year-old man was working General Aviation Terminal, an AirTran Airways subcontractor that provides lavatory and water services for planes, said Tad Hutcheson, a spokesman for the airline. driving an AirTran lavatory truck when it collided with a catering truck. He had just finished a job at Gate C-1 and was headed to another assignment when the wreck occurred. He was thrown from the open-cab truck in the collision. An AirTran mechanic and an maintenance engineer tried to revive the teenager, but he was pronounced dead a short time later at South Fulton Hospital. Two nearby gates were shut down for a couple of hours after the wreck, but Hutcheson said air operations were not affected. He said the teenager, a Riverdale High School graduate who was working his first job, had been a "model employee." "It was just a tragic accident," Hutcheson said Friday morning. "It's a very sad day at the airport today."


Worker killed in construction accident at Kia plant

GA - A worker was killed in a construction accident at the site of the Kia automobile factory in west Georgia. Troup County Coroner Jeff Cook says 47-year-old Ollie Tate of Cartersville, Georgia, was killed around 8 a.m. yesterday (Tuesday) at the plant at West Point. Kia Human Resources Manager Randy Jackson said Tate worked for a subcontractor and was erecting steel when the accident occurred. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. The 2.4 million-square-foot Kia factory is scheduled to open in November 2009 and will employ 2,500 people directly and many more at five nearby plants that supply parts. West Point is located near the Alabama line.


Woman Killed In SF Printing Press Operation Mishap

SAN FRANCISCO, CA ― An industrial accident at a printing operation near AT&T Park claimed the life Tuesday of an unidentified woman (Margarita Mojica, 26). It was the second such fatal accident in the city of San Francisco in two days. The fire department was called to Digital Pre-Press International at 645 Mariposa Street around 11:30 a.m., according to SFFD Lt. Ken Smith. "We responded with our rescue squad to try to take the machine off her. We were successful in doing that and extricating her from the machine. However she has perished from her injuries," Smith told CBS 5 at the scene of the accident. Smith did not know what job duties the woman was performing when she became enmeshed in the massive piece of equipment. The San Francisco medical examiner and investigators from Cal-OSHA were at the scene. On Monday, Luis Gonzalez, 43, of Ceres, Calif., was crushed to death when a five-story high boiler collapsed at the former Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power plant located at 1000 Evans Avenue in the city's Bayview-Hunters Point section. Video


Libertyville gas station manager killed by CO poisoning

LIBERTYVILLE, IL - A gas station manager pulled found unresponsive in a utility room at a Libertyville gas station/car wash by police Sunday night was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. Philip Johnson, 44, of Lake Bluff, was found at the Mobil station at 1060 E. Park Ave. in Libertyville about 9:25 p.m. Sunday, according to a Libertyville police investigator. Police officers got to the scene before paramedics and pulled Johnson out of the small room in order to perform CPR. By the time police got Johnson outside, paramedics had arrived and began to perform lifesaving measures, then took Johnson to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, according to the investigator.


State starts investigation into Kelso worker's death

WA - The state Department of Labor & Industries has launched an investigation into the death of a 39-year-old man killed Jan. 18 on the job at R.D. Olson Manufacturing in Kelso. The investigation of the death of Gary L. Wagner of Rose Valley will take two to three months, agency spokeswoman Elaine Fischer said Friday. Investigators are gathering information to determine whether all safety requirements were followed, she said. “Right now, it’s too soon to know what happened,” Fischer said. Wagner died when a piece of metal framework weighing more than 2,800 pounds tipped over while being moved and struck him in the head at the 1801 Baker Way Loop location, according Cowlitz County Coroner Tim Davidson. Death was instantaneous, according to Davidson. Wagner was a longtime Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue volunteer who traveled to San Diego last summer to help with the wild fires. A crew from that agency responded to the accident, not knowing that one of their fellow volunteers had been killed.


Boyfriend held in shooting death of mother of 5

MA - Victim was at her job at a Webster auto parts store. Kelly Brackley packed the last of her bags last weekend, neighbors said, moving out of her Worcester house to get away from her estranged boyfriend. It wasn't enough. The boyfriend, William J. Goddard, is accused of gunning Brackley down yesterday morning while she was at work at a Webster auto parts store. The 38-year-old Goddard, a Level 3 sex offender, eluded police for hours, but was captured after an armed standoff in a field in a town 30 miles away. He is to be arraigned today on a murder charge in Dudley District Court. The death of the 30-year-old Brackley stunned those who knew her as a sunny, free-spirited mother of five.


Cab driver from Pekin dies in two-vehicle crash

NORTH PEKIN, IL - Co-workers of a taxi cab driver killed Saturday when her vehicle was hit by an ambulance are “devastated,” according to John Franks, vice president of the Pekin-Peoria Yellow Checkered Cab. “Mary was a real hard worker. She was somebody who was dedicated to her job. She loved her family,” Franks said Monday morning. The Pekin woman died after an Advanced Medical Transport ambulance struck the Pekin-Peoria Yellow Checkered Cab she was driving Saturday morning. According to the Peoria County Coroner's office, Mary L. Heath, 48, of 213 Sunny Ridge Court, Pekin, was traveling southbound on Route 29 when she turned in front of the ambulance. At the time of the crash, Heath was the only occupant in the cab. Franks said Heath was on duty at the time of the accident. He said Heath worked for Pekin-Peoria Yellow Checkered Cab on and off, over the past several years.


Worker killed

Seneca, Mo. - An accident at the Milnot Company in Seneca late Saturday night claimed the life of Larry Poe, a worker at the company. According to an official with the Seneca Police Department, “Seneca police officers arrived in response to the call. There were two other officers there before they arrived.” Milnot straddles the Missouri-Oklahoma state line. The accident occurred on the Oklahoma side of the company. After determining that the accident occurred on the Oklahoma side in Ottawa County, Seneca police officers contacted the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol took over.


Oil company owner struck, killed by runaway tanker in Burlington

BURLINGTON, Conn. - Authorities are investigating the death of a 43-year-old oil truck owner who was killed when the vehicle rolled over him in a Burlington driveway. State police say Kurt Klingner of Farmington was pulled under the truck when its parking brake failed and he tried to stop it from rolling down the driveway. Klingner and another worker were outside the truck to deliver oil for his business, Klingner Family Oil, when the incident occurred around 11:20 a.m. Monday.


Power plant collapses during demolition; at least one killed

SAN FRANCISCO. CA - One man was killed and another two were critically injured Monday when a five-story metal structure collapsed during demolition preparations at the former Pacific Gas and Electric power plant in Bayview-Hunters Point. Emergency officials were investigating the cause of the collapse, which occurred at 1100 Evans Ave. just before noon Monday, San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Lt. Mindy Talmadge said. According to Talmadge, the top section of the structure dropped in a “pancake collapse,” causing the rest of edifice to twist and crumble to the ground. Rescue officials were able to extricate the first worker less than a half-hour after the collapse, SFFD spokesman Lt. Ken Smith said. That worker was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital with serious leg injuries, Smith said. The second worker was already dead upon discovery, while the third worker was rescued a little less than an hour after the collapse and hospitalized with “crushing leg injuries and facial lacerations,” Smith said. The body of the third worker was removed from the collapse at 9 p.m. a nearly six-hour extrication process, according to Smith.


15-ton wall section falls, killing worker

Ca- A construction worker was killed in South San Francisco when a 15-ton section of concrete fell on him, authorities said Wednesday. State and local authorities are investigating the accident, which happened at J.C. Steel Fabrication at 220 Michelle Court shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, said South San Francisco police Sgt. Joni Lee. The victim was identified as Chiu Chun Wong, 50, of San Lorenzo. Lee said J.C. Steel Fabrication had hired a construction company, Vickers Concrete Sawing Inc., to open a portion of a concrete wall at the building. As Wong and another worker were putting a chain around the bottom of the 20-by-12-foot wall, the slab fell and crushed Wong, she said. The other worker was not injured. The accident is under investigation by the city's building department and Cal/OSHA, the state's workplace safety agency, Lee said.