Sunday, April 13, 2008

Weekly Toll: Death In The American Workplace

Fallen Power Pole Kills Contract Utility Worker

Dallas,TX - A utility worker from Oklahoma was killed Saturday when a power pole crushed him. Thomas Lansdale was part of a utility crew working to restore power knocked out by Thursday's storms. Witnesses said crews were using a small crane to hoist a 4,000-pound utility pole up when the cable snapped and it fell on Lansdale. Residents in the heavily damaged Hurst neighborhood were stunned by the weekend tragedy. "It is so sad. It's tragic," homeowner Lorie Disinski said. "We came through this all the way around and it's just sad that the people who are coming to help us to restore electricity have a loss of life." Although she's spent the past couple of days


Man dies after truck rolls over him, Police believe Winchester resident's truck was in neutral

MURRIETA, CA - A 45-year-old Winchester man died Friday after his own truck rolled over him, according to the Murrieta Police Department. The man, identified by coroner's officials as Efrain Nolasco, was securing a gate at the Jo-Dan Farms Nursery on Pabesu Road, located near the Greer Ranch gated community, when his truck rolled backward over him, according to police. Investigators believe Nolasco, who worked at the nursery, had left his large stake-bed truck running in neutral and did not set the parking brake when he went to secure the gate. Nolasco died at the scene. The Police Department and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health are investigating the incident.


Man Dies after Falling from Cellular Tower

Wake Forest, N.C. — A 34-year old Oklahoma man died Saturday after falling from a cellular tower in Wake Forest. Charles Wade Lupton, of Midwest City, died from injuries after falling about 150 feet at 11156 Capital Boulevard. Lupton was with a co-worker at the time of the accident. Lupton was employed by MJM Group LLC of Franklin, Tenn. The exact cause of the incident is under investigation. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is also investigating.


Greenheck maintenance worker killed on job

, WI - A 42-year-old Hatley man was killed while conducting maintenance on heavy manufacturing machinery at about 7 a.m. Saturday at Greenheck in Schofield, according to the Everest Metro Police Department. Michael M. Damask died after sustaining a "blunt-force, crush-type injury," said John Larson, Marathon County medical examiner. Officer Mark Hull said the maintenance employee was working in Greenheck building number two in the Schofield industrial park. The company was performing maintenance during the weekend, when fewer workers are in, Hull said. Today's incident marks the first work-related employee death in the 61-year history of Greenheck, said Jon Krueger, vice president of human resources. "It is a very sad day for all of us at Greenheck,"' Krueger said in a news release. "Our immediate focus and concern is with the employee's family.''


Anderson Worker Killed

SC - An Anderson county woman says she doesn't hold anyone responsible for the workplace accident which killed her husband Saturday. The call came in from American Concrete and Precast just before 9:00 a.m. Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore says 45-year old Frank Fuller walked into the path of a bobcat that was backing-up, and he was hit. The coroner says fuller was talking to another worker at the time and didn't see the bobcat, and the machine did not have a back up alarm. Fuller died of trauma to his chest. But his wife, Ann Romano-Fuller says it was an accident, and rather than mourn his death, she's choosing to celebrate his life.


Man dies in West Baltimore building collapse

MD - Baltimore fire officials say two men escaped a collapsing building undergoing renovation work in West Baltimore, but a fellow worker was found dead in the rubble hours later. The three-story building collapsed around 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the 500 block of Wilson Street. Fire department spokesman Kevin Cartwright says two workers doing carpentry work inside the home heard a noise and felt vibrations and were able to escape as the building collapsed. They weren't hurt, but a third man was trapped inside.


Gunman Kills Nurse, Employee In Columbus, Ga. Hospital Shooting

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Authorities say a retired school teacher bearing a grudge over his mother's treatment at a Columbus, Ga. hospital where she died fatally shot a male nurse and another hospital employee, then killed another man outside. Police Chief Ricky Boren says 63-year-old Charles Johnston of Columbus was wounded by a detective as he tried to leave the parking lot of Doctors Hospital Thursday afternoon. Boren says Johnston is being charged with murder and will be turned over to police after an overnight stay in another hospital where he is being treated for a shoulder wound. The three men who were killed were not identified, pending notification of their families.


Farmer killed in apparent accident

DYSART,IA - A farmer well-known in rural Benton and Tama counties died Monday, a victim of an apparent accident. Marlyn Rieck, 62, was found at his home east of Dysart underneath a tractor, according to preliminary reports. Rieck previously also operated a salvage yard east of Dysart with his late father, Eldo. The Benton County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident. Overton Funeral Home in Dysart is handling funeral arrangements.


Man shot, killed at Chester plant

Richmond,VA - A man who fatally shot another man outside an industrial plant in Chester this morning had worked with the victim, according to Chesterfield County police. The two knew each other through work at Pre Con Inc. in the 13700 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, where the shooting occurred, but authorities have not established whether both were still employed there, Chesterfield police Maj. Ben Mize said this afternoon. Detectives have identified the shooter and were looking for him."We know who we're looking for," Mize said. Police declined to immediately release the names of the suspect or the victim. Mize said investigators searched a house in Petersburg, where family members of the suspect live, but he was not there. The suspect's last known address was in Petersburg.Police said the shooting occurred shortly after 7 a.m. during a shift change at Pre Con, which sits in an industrial complex south of John Tyler Community College.


Police believe one of the dead was the shooter. The shooting appears to be domestic-related.

Louisburg, N.C. – Two people were killed and one injured in what appeared to be a domestic-related shooting at a Louisburg business Tuesday morning. According to police, a man entered Phelps Temporary Staffing Service, at 403 S. Bickett Blvd., and began firing around 8:19 a.m. Witnesses said they heard multiple gunshots. Bullets struck two women as they tried to run from the building, police said. Amy Calamaco, 22, fell in the parking lot, and was pronounced dead at the scene. A second woman sustained a gunshot wound to the hip, but managed to run toward U.S. Highway 401, police said. A pedestrian and an employee at a nearby ACE hardware store rushed to help her. Police have not released the names of the injured woman, or of the alleged shooter. "This girl comes running up the hill, hollering at this pedestrian walking," ACE Hardware employee Maurice Hook said. "She says, 'I've been shot, I've been shot.' So he runs across the street, and I hear several more shots."


4 killed in chain-reaction crash in Ga.

NORCROSS, Ga. - The driver of a car that allegedly set off a deadly crash in Georgia was questioned by police late Tuesday. Cody Rhoden, 20, came in accompanied by his father and lawyer, WXIA-TV reported. His car had been found parked at a nearby hotel soon after the crash Monday night on Interstate 85. Killed in the collision were three members of a family returning from a wedding in Utah and the limousine driver driving them home from the airport, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Rhoden acknowledged being at the wheel of the red Acura. Witnesses said the Acura was going too fast and swerving in and out of traffic, causing Mark Gay of Lawrenceville, Ga., to swerve his sports utility vehicle limousine in turn. The limo overturned after hitting the median.



Shooting at Chester industrial plant leaves one dead

CHESTER, Va. - Police say an argument in the parking lot of a Chester factory Tuesday morning ended when one man pulled out a gun and shot the other man to death, then fled. Chesterfield County police said they were looking for 25-year-old Christopher T. Clagon of Petersburg, who's been charged in the shooting death of 25-year-old Dell Shawn Wiley. Police are charging him with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Clagon is still at large. The argument happened during the 7 a.m. shift change at Pre Con Industrial. Police said the Wiley, whose address was not available, died at the scene and the Clagon drove off in a gold-colored Chevrolet.


Man dies from possible electrocution while working in Manchester

Rochester,NY - A man working at a local factory died on the job Wednesday and police say he may have been electrocuted. It happened at Rochester Insulated Glass in Manchester, Ontario County. The worker was found lying on the floor inside the factory and not breathing. News 10NBC was told he didn't work for Rochester Insulated Glass but he was a contract worker installing a new furnace system. Police said the victim's co-worker left for about 20 minutes and when he came back the man was unconscious. Medics began CPR, and he was rushed to Clifton Springs Hospital. The sheriff's department thinks he may have been electrocuted because he was working with a panel box with the power on. The owner of Rochester Insulated Glass had no comment when News 10NBC contacted him. The sheriff's department said the victim is from Pennsylvania. Police are in the process of notifying the victim's family. An autopsy will be performed Thursday.


Oil rig worker was from Platteville

GREELEY, NM — A worker who died of injuries suffered at an oil rig near Platteville was crushed by a flatbed truck backing up to load equipment, said Christine Corrigan of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Denver area office. Christopher Clark, 26, of Platteville, was directing as a truck backed up a ramp when he was crushed between the truck and a platform Thursday at the Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. rig, officials said. An autopsy Friday determined he was struck in his lower chest and suffered damage to major organs, including a ruptured aorta, said Weld County Deputy Coroner Mark Ward. The death was ruled an accident. OSHA and the sheriff's office were investigating. Patterson-UTI Energy Inc., based in Snyder, Texas, did not return phone calls seeking comment.


Goodyear worker in Kansas dies after tasering by police

Oak Park, MI - Friends and co-workers of an employee at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Topeka, Kansas, were horrified when the man died after being tasered three times by police last Saturday night. Shawnee County Sheriff’s deputies received a medical emergency call at 11:17 p.m. March 29 from the Goodyear plant. Workers and management were concerned for the safety of Walter E. Haake Jr., 59, who had reportedly taken a fall earlier at home and might have sustained a head injury... Eyewitnesses reported that Haake was acting disoriented, and they were worried that he might endanger himself or others if he drove home. At a press conference Wednesday, Shawnee County Sheriff Dick Barta reported that one of the AMR personnel said Haake had been in need of medical attention and asked the deputies to remove him from the vehicle. Barta said that the deputies tried to communicate with Haake, who “continued to be uncooperative.” At this point, the officers ordered Haake to leave his vehicle, and threatened the use of the Taser if he refused. When he did not comply, one of the deputies used the Taser in “drive stun” mode for two seconds on Haake’s left thigh. When he still did not exit the vehicle, a second two-second Taser was delivered, followed by a third for an additional four seconds.


Millbrook officer dies in on-duty crash

MILLBROOK, AL - A Millbrook police officer was killed when his vehicle struck a tree while he was responding to a civil disturbance call in heavy rain, police said. James D. Fezatte, 41, was the first Millbrook officer killed in the line of duty, according to a department news release. No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which occurred at about 10:51 p.m. Saturday. Fezatte's vehicle apparently hydroplaned and left the road, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. "This is the first officer that our department has lost in the line of duty since its inception, and it's going to be hard on us all," Millbrook Police Chief Kenneth Bradley said in a statement. "We will be here to support his family and lean on each other to get through this." Fezatte joined the force in September 2007 shortly after retiring from the Air Force, said P.K. Johnson, assistant police chief.


Rescue workers' delay investigated after man's death

WASHINGTON - The D.C. Medical examiner's office is conducting an autopsy to determine whether rescue workers' delayed response to a call for a man having seizures contributed to his death. Officials say the rescue workers initially went to 10 G Place NE, about a block away from 10 G Street NE, where the man was in medical distress. They say the man arrived at Howard University Hospital more than half an hour after the first 911 call and later died. Assistant Fire Chief Larry Schultz calls the mistake a "human error." Fire Chief Dennis Rubin says an investigation is underway, but so far it appears that the primary cause of the delay was and error by the rescue workers.


Construction Worker Dies

South Bend,IN - A construction worker who was struck in the back by a falling beam has died of his injuries. Portage, Indiana police say 54 year old Gary Komacko of Schererville was working at a construction site at the Ameriplex development Tuesday when a 500 pound beam fell 15 feet and struck him on the back. He died later that evening at a hospital. Indiana Department of Labor spokesman Sean Keefer says an investigator with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration is looking into the incident. He says officials don't know yet how the beam fell, but would issue a report in a few weeks. Keefer says Komacko was an iron worker with Great Lakes Steel Construction.


Oregon man killed in industrial fire

SANDY, Ore. — A worker died from injuries sustained in an industrial fire east of Portland. The Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 61-year-old Robert Rolph of Sandy. Rolph worked as an equipment mechanic for Wayne Stone Logging Inc. The Oregon State Police says investigators think the fire was an accident that started while Rolph washed an energized fuel pump in a solvent cleaning tank. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within minutes of reaching the shop building where Rolph was working Friday morning. The Oregon Occupational Safety Health Administration is now leading the investigation.


Industrial Accident Kills Greenheck Employee

Wausau, WI - An employee of Greenheck Fan Corporation in Schofield is dead tonight following an accident on the job early this morning. EMS personnel were called to Greenheck’s Facility 2, which houses plants two and three, shortly after seven Saturday morning. A spokesman for Greenheck says the precise cause of the accident that killed the employee is under investigation. "It is a very sad day for all of us at Greenheck," said Jon Krueger, Greenheck's vice president of human resources. "Our immediate focus is underway to determine the precise cause of the accident." Krueger says the name of the employee who died is not being released until all members


Gilchrist sawmill shut in wake of worker's death

GILCHRIST, OR - Lumber, heavy machinery, hot steam and safety placards. Those are the sights, and normally the sounds at the Interfor Pacific sawmill in Gilchrist are loud and bustling. But this week it's silence. Closed down for the week because 45-year-old James French of Redmond was killed Tuesday. A temporary worker hired just a few months before, witnesses say French was about to do some welding on a de-barking machine. He reportedly thought everything was turned off, all while a 2,000-pound metal roller hung above him. "He locked everything out and laid across it and when he reached his arm in there he hit an electronic eye and that brought a roller down across him and squished him," Rick Alldridge told NewsChannel 21 Friday. Alldridge knows because he's a former mill employee of eight years and has spoken to friends that were there that day. Alldridge wanted out of the dangerous business and now works at the Gilchrist gas station.



East Raleigh store clerk shot, killed

RALEIGH, SC - Raleigh police need your help in finding who shot and killed a woman at a gas station early Thursday morning. Police say someone shot Stephanie Anderson, 39, at the Wilco Hess gas station at 1741 Trawick Road. Raleigh police say they got a call about an alarm around 5 a.m., an hour before the store was supposed to open. Authorities say Anderson was an employee at the store and was usually the first to open the store for the day. Paramedics took Anderson to WakeMed where she died.


MdTA employee is killed in crash on shoulder of I-95

A Maryland Transportation Authority maintenance employee was killed yesterday afternoon on Interstate 95 while clearing debris near the White Marsh area, bringing traffic to a standstill for several hours, authorities said. The victim, identified by the authority as Gregory Anthony Bauer, 37, was taken by ambulance to Franklin Square Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead. Bauer had been clearing debris from the left lane shoulder on the southbound side of the highway, walking several feet in front of an authority truck parked on the same side about 2 p.m., state police said. A gray 2007 Mazda driving southbound lost control and hit the median between the maintenance truck and Bauer. The vehicle then slid down the median wall and struck Bauer, throwing him onto the northbound shoulder, police said.


Tribune employee slain, another wounded in drive-by

Chicago, IL - Chicago Tribune employee Wayne Jackson, 23, was killed and Jennifer Collins, 22, was wounded in a drive-by shooting overnight. A Chicago Tribune employee was killed Friday morning and a female co-worker wounded in a drive-by shooting on Chicago’s South Side, police said. The shooting happened shortly after 3 a.m. in the 8500 block of South Saginaw Avenue as the two were sitting in a car. Wayne Jackson, 23, who lived on that block, was shot in the head and the woman wounded in the leg by two males who got out of their white Ford Explorer and approached them with at least one gun.



Man fatally injured at Berks warehouse

Allentown, PA - The Berks County coroner's office is investigating the death of a Schuylkill County man who was apparently killed on the job at a warehouse off Route 61 in Berks County. Michael Konidas, 46, of Barnesville, received fatal injuries at the AmeriCold Logistics warehouse on Orchard Lane in Ontelaunee Township, according to the coroner's office. An autopsy is scheduled for today to determine the cause of death. The Northern Berks Regional Police Department had no information about the incident.


Carson man killed in work accident

Carson City, NV - Family and friends crowded inside Jorge Carmona's tiny North Carson Street apartment on Thursday. They silently sat on couches and stood along the walls as Carmona's 3-year-old son, Jorge, played with other children on the coffee table. Every hour little Jorge asks where his father is, said Jose Reyes, Carmona's uncle through marriage. Every hour, whomever Jorge asks is at a loss for what to say. Carmona, a Carson City resident for the past three years, was killed Wednesday in an accident at his job with Wallis Steel Inc. on Lockheed Way. According to the police report, Carmona was securing a clamp to a fabricated steel beam standing on its end, when the beam fell.


Plainfield man killed at work at plastics plant Sayreville

SAYREVILLE, NJ - A factory worker who tried to fix a jammed machine at a plastic
manufacturing plant on Main Street died after the machine restarted and crushed him, police said. Gonzalo Mera, 48, of Plainfield, suffered a severe head injury in the accident that occurred at Sabert Corporation about 7:50 p.m. Wednesday, police said. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating Mera's death. OSHA has fined the company in the past for ""lockout/tagout'' violations. Those type of violations include lapses in which energy is not shut off to disabled machines while under repair, an OSHA official said.


Homeless man charged in stabbing death of KC grocery worker

MO - Kansas City police arrested a homeless man Thursday in the February killing of a Westport grocery worker who was attacked as he walked to a bus stop. Jackson County prosecutors charged Curtis L. Elbert, 29, with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the Feb. 2 stabbing of Joseph D. Bussell, 57.


Delhi mourning firefighter's death

Florence,KY - "A gem, just a gem," is how Delhi Township Fire Chief Bill Zoz described Brian Schira. Schira, 29, died battling a fire early April 4 in Colerain Township. Colerain Township Fire Department Capt. Robin Broxterman was also killed. Schira, a Green Township resident and 1997 La Salle High School graduate, had been with Colerain since 2007 and with the Delhi Township Fire Department since March of 2006. "He was hired right after the lay-offs and worked mainly out of Station 30," said Doug Campbell, battalion chief with Delhi Township. "He was bright, energetic and really wanted to do this job the best he could," Campbell said. Schira, a firefighter/EMT, had recently added the rank of fire apparatus operator, Campbell said. He added that along with working part-time for both township fire departments. Schira also worked at Home Depot.


New Information On Murder Of Sanitation Worker In Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Eyewitness News has learned new information about a sanitation worker killed in Charlotte. Demetrio Colvillo was shot and killed while sitting in his truck on Point Lookout Road Thursday morning. Our newspaper partner Mi Gente spoke with Colvillo's family. They found out he was married and lived with his wife and three children in Lincolnton. Memorial services are scheduled for Sunday. Police arrested Justus Moss and charged him with Colvillo's murder.


Plant Worker Dies After Being Hit By Steel

ELWOOD, Kan. - A worker at a northeast Kansas plant died after being hit by a piece of steel. Elwood police said the accident happened Monday morning, when a steel beam hit Michael Wilson, 56, in his side and lower back. Wilson worked at the construction equipment-maker Snorkel for 35 years.Police said Wilson was alert and talking to co-workers and paramedics at the accident scene. Snorkel's Chief Operating Officer Frank Scarborough confirmed that Wilson died later Monday.


3 Construction Workers Presumed Dead After Fall From Bridge Scaffolding

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Three construction workers were presumed dead when they fell Wednesday from the Interstate 430 bridge into the Arkansas River, a rescue official said. Workers for a contractor hired by the Central Arkansas Water utility fell 100 feet to the river shortly before 11 a.m. More than an hour later, a fire department official said the men were presumed dead and the rescue operation had turned into a recovery effort. Little Rock Fire Department Capt. Jason Weaver said the men were not spotted by 12:15 p.m., about 1 1/4 hours after their fall. Recovery crews had hooked what appeared to be the scaffolding, and the original plan was to bring a barge in to raise the structure. But the scaffolding, laden with equipment, weighs as much as 10,000 pounds. So officials opted to close northbound traffic lanes on Interstate 430 at 6 p.m. and use a crane to raise the platform.



Worker killed in industrial accident at Bibb plant

Los Angeles,CA - The Bibb County Sheriff's Office is investigating an industrial accident that killed a worker early Friday morning at the Nichiha, U.S.A. Inc. fiber cement plant. About 4:20 a.m., Lewis Goodwin Jr., 21, of 2800 Masseyville Road was crushed by machinery at the facility at 3150 Avondale Mill Road, said Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones. "A magic marker rolled under the machine and he crawled under the machine to get it," Jones said. Nichiha USA, Inc. was founded in 1998 in Atlanta and opened its first plant in the United States in Macon in November, according to the company's Web site. Funeral arrangements are pending at Hicks & Sons Mortuary, 2233 Anthony Road.


Truck driver dies in fiery crash on Interstate 210 in Pasadena

PASADENA, Calif.—A truck crashed and exploded Tuesday alongside Interstate 210, killing its driver and injuring three people in another vehicle, California Highway Patrol officials said. The tractor-trailer veered off the freeway, flipped over onto an embankment and exploded about 1:45 p.m., said Officer Heather Hoglund. The three injured people were in a car involved in the accident. They were treated and released. Fire destroyed the cab section of the truck, which was hauling a load of energy drinks. All eastbound lanes of the freeway were initially closed and traffic backed up for at least two miles. All but two lanes later reopened. The two lanes were expected to remain closed most of the afternoon for the investigation.


Worker Trimming Trees Falls Into Wood Chipper, Dies

Inglewood, CA - A city worker died after falling into a wood chipper while trimming trees in Inglewood, Calif., MyFOXLA.com reported. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident as an industrial accident, the station reported. They are looking for people who may have seen the accident. The victim was not identified, the station reported. Click here to read more on this story from MyFOXLA.com


Worker killed at Solid Waste Authority

West Palm Beach,FL - Investigators say 36-year-old James Ford of Port St. Lucie was killed Tuesday at the Solid Waste Authority near Jog Road in West Palm Beach after falling approximately 50 feet. Investigators tell Fox 29 the worker was employed by Mara Steel. "They have a very stringent safety protocol. And, as far as I know, that was being followed at the time of the accident," says Patrick Carroll with Solid Waste Authority. We spoke with the construction safety expert who says, typically, anyone working more than 15 feet in the air is supposed to wear a safety harness that's attached from above. If a worker is on the roof, the harness is not required. Investigators say, there were approximately 40 people on the scene when the worker fell. Operation Safety and Health Administration will interview them and conduct inspections to determine what happened. "There are safety devices. And as soon as all is looked into, we will be glad to share more information with you," David Sowel states.


Man Crushed by Truck at Auto Auction

Buffalo, NY - A man is crushed to death by a truck during a busy auto auction in Newstead. It happened Tuesday morning around 10:30 at the Adesa Auto Auction in Newstead. Police say the victim, 54-year-old William Bushnell of Gowanda, was at the auction working for an auto dealer, and he was walking through the bays where the vehicles are displayed to potential bidders when a worker who was pulling a truck in a bay lost control. Witnesses describe a chaotic scene following the accident. "There was just a lot of people all over. There were some females in there crying," says Dan Glaser, an auto dealer who always attends the Tuesday auctions. The driver of the truck, 52-year-old Roseann Adornetto, told sheriff's investigators she been working as a temporary employee moving vehicles at the auctions for the past year, but she doesn't know exactly what happened this Tuesday morning when the Dodge truck she was pulling into one of the auction bays suddenly accelerated.


Sanitation worker fatally shot

CHARLOTTE, NC -- A sanitation worker was fatally shot Thursday morning while on the job in a neighborhood near Lake Wylie. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say a male suspect -- Justus Dane Moss -- shot the man -- Demetrio Calvillo -- with a small-caliber handgun around 9:30 a.m. in the Point Lookout neighborhood. The suspect was taken into custody. The victim was a private sanitation worker for A Sani Can, based out of Denver, N.C., and not an employee of the city of Charlotte.


Longshore Worker Killed at Long Beach Port - Cargo Operations Brought to a Halt

Los Angeles,CA - Cargo handling at one of the terminals at America's second busiest port ground to a halt on Friday following the dockside death of Carlos Rivera, 73, a longshore worker with more than 40 years experience on the waterfront. "Longshore work is dangerous, but it doesn't have to be deadly," said International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 13 president Joe Cortez. More than a dozen longshore workers have been killed on the west coast during the past six years. This is the second fatality in Southern California since 2005. "This tragedy affects the entire ILWU family," said Cortez. "Carlos came in to the industry with me." Rivera was working against a ship at the California United Terminal (CUT) at the Port of Long Beach when he was struck and killed. Details on the death are being investigated by port authorities.


Construction Worker Killed on Job Site

Atlanta, GA - A construction worker was killed Monday morning after being hit in the head by a falling staircase. The 19-year-old worker, identified as Walter Lopez, was working at the Emerald Forest Apartments on Mableton Parkway replacing decks and staircases when the accident happened. Lopez was reportedly checking the sturdiness of a deck when it came crashing down. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is reportedly investigating the incident.


TOSHA probes deadly 40-foot fall at Ameristeel

Jackson, TN - Members of the Tennessee Occupational Safety & Health Administration were at Gerdau Ameristeel on Monday to investigate a weekend accident that killed employee Jason C. Blackmon. The 30-year-old steel worker died Friday after falling from a crane platform during a shift change, said Tom Hohs, vice president and general manager of Gerdau's Jackson steel mill. "The incident was at a crane landing platform," he said. "It was a crane boarding situation and had nothing to do with (wearing or not wearing) fall protection." Hohs said Blackmon fell from a platform that is surrounded by a U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration approved handrail and safety gate. "The individual, Jason, was on a crane platform," Hohs said, "and it was at a shift change, and he was relieving the previous operator, and as one operator came off the crane, and Jason was entering the crane for his shift."
Rescue workers' delay investigated after man's death

1 comment:

Sommer Strachan said...

I'm freaking out a little after reading this. I dated a guy named Jason Blackmon that was from Medina. We were good friends and stayed in touch until I had a car accident and I haven't been able to find him. Please let me know if there are any pictures or anything on the internet so I can see if it's him. nicheol_21@hotmail.com. Thank you so much.

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