Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Pipe falls on worker at FPL plant site, killing him

FL - A 61-year-old construction worker building a Florida Power and Light Co. plant in western Palm Beach County was killed Friday, after a pipe fell on him. The 24-inch-wide pipe fell on the man while he was working on a scaffolding about 20 feet high, said county Fire-Rescue Capt. Don DeLucia. FPL employees used a crane to lower the worker to the ground, on a stretcher. But the man, whose name has not been released, was dead by the time rescuers arrived, DeLucia said.


Safety Questioned After Female Guard Killed At State Prison

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There are serious questions about safety inside the Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach after a 50-year-old female guard was stabbed to death by a convicted rapist at the prison. Her fellow jail guards told Eyewitness News they were saddened by her death, but not surprised. In fact, some said they predicted such an incident. More than 1,200 criminals are kept behind bars at Tomoka Correctional Institution. Former officers though told Eyewitness News they're understaffed and it leads to situations like the death of Donna Fitzgerald.


Crews Recover Body From Collapsed Trench

VAN BUREN, Ark. - Recovery teams have removed the body of a worker trapped in Friday's trench collapse in Van Buren. Richard Hardgraves, 48, died when the trench walls gave way, trapping him in mud and water. Work crews spent more than 11 hours trying to remove his body. Another man, Tony Webb, was also trapped while trying to rescue Hardgraves. Webb was able to get out. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating whether Kirby Construction crews followed proper safety measures and whether the accident could have been prevented.


Officials probe Yellville man's death at factory

HARRISON, Ark. - Federal inspectors are investigating a Harrison factory where a worker was apparently electrocuted earlier this week. Authorities say Tim Souther, 46, of Yellville was killed Tuesday morning while working on some electrical equipment at Tankinetics. Bill Nichols, director of operations at Tankinetics, says Souther was on a "man lift" elevated above the floor at the time of his death. Nichols says inspectors from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating Souther's death. His body has been sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for an autopsy. Tankinetics makes composite materials used in corrosion-proof storage tanks and piping.


Disney Employee Dies After Being Injured At Resort

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - A Disney employee has died two weeks after being injured at a Disney Resort. 52 year old John Swearingen was injured while working at Disney’s All Star Music Resort on June 13th. Osceola County deputies were called to the resort after the employee was hurt while operating a hi-lift machine. According to the police report, the man somehow became pinned between the machine and a wall. He sustained serious chest, neck and head injuries, Swearingen was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center where he died Thursday, Osceola County detectives have been working with OSHA and now are conducting a death investigation. Officials said the death appears to be accidental.


Electrician dies after accident on job

FAIRFIELD — A Robinson Heating and Air Conditioning electrician died after a fatal accident on a contracted job at a Fairfield business, said the company's safety manager. William Hopkins, 77, of Middletown, died in the afternoon Thursday, June 26, but how he died is still being investigated, said safety manager Les Robinson. He said he did not know the details of how Hopkins died. "Right now, our thoughts and prayers are with the family, and our condolences," Robinson said. "He was a long-time employee, very valuable." Hopkins, a retired AK Steel employee, had worked for Middletown-based Robinson Heating for 18 years, Robinson said. Marcum said there was a fall involved in the accident, but would not confirm if Hopkins died as a result of the fall.


Victim in fatal Dolton standoff was beaten, stabbed, shot

IL - Police release new details of Dolton standoff that left woman, gunman dead. An employee killed in a standoff in a Dolton insurance office Tuesday was beaten, stabbed and shot before police killed the offender, authorities said Wednesday. Family and friends gathered outside the South Holland home of Jeniel Morgan on Wednesday to mourn the loss of the 42-year-old woman. Police said Morgan, an employee at Illinois Vehicle Insurance, was dead when officers entered the building after the standoff.


Hampton officials identify man killed in industrial accident

HAMPTON, CA - Hampton Fire-Rescue officials have identified a 45-year-old North Carolina man who died earlier this month while working at Peninsula Town Center. Rene Sierra Aguirrez, of Cary, N.C., was laying floor decking at a construction site when he fell 19 feet through an opening on June 14, according to Hampton fire marshal Anne-Marie Loughran. He died the next day at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, according to Loughran. Aguirrez had two sons, according to Loughran.


Elderly farmer killed by tractor saw

BELLAIRE, Mich. - An 84-year-old farmer in Antrim County has been killed after falling into a saw blade that was attached to the front of his tractor. The county sheriff's department tells the Traverse City Record-Eagle that the man had attached a buzz saw rig to the tractor and was cutting small branches. He was not on the tractor, but was working on the ground nearby. He somehow fell into the blade Tuesday and sustained a head injury. He had died by the time emergency rescuers arrived.


Worker, 42, killed in fall at warehouse

Baltimore, MD - A 42-year-old man died after falling from scaffolding at a Harford County warehouse yesterday. Authorities did not release the identity of the man, pending notification of next of kin. The man was working for a masonry company, building a cinder-block wall in an old appliance warehouse on Appliance Drive in Belcamp, said Sgt. Dave Betz, spokesman for Harford County Sheriff's Office. Betz said that about 1:45 p.m., while the man was on top of the scaffolding and moving to a different part of the wall, he fell 16 to 18 feet.


Postal Service worker killed in Silver Lake collision

A U.S. Postal Service worker was killed today when her mail truck overturned in Silver Lake, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman said. Maria F. Gutierrez, 30, was in the 2000 block of N. Hyperion Avenue at about 11:30 a.m. when her postal truck collided with another vehicle, said Fire Department spokeswoman d'Lisa Davies. Larry Dozier, a USPS spokesman,said Gutierrez had worked for the postal service about two years. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the second vehicle was taken to a hospital.


Idaho construction worker killed in fall

MERIDIAN, Idaho - Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the death of a 23-year-old construction worker from Caldwell. OSHA area director Jerrold Hockett says Keith Thomas Hunter died after falling from a building in Meridian. The Idaho Statesman reports that Hunter worked for the Boise-based B&B Steel Erectors. According to OSHA records, the company paid a $5,000 fine in 200 after OSHA inspectors found a serious violation and a repeat violation. The company was also cited for a serious violation in 2007.


Construction Worker Falls To Death At Jet Blue Terminal

NY - A construction worker died this morning after falling from a ladder at John F. Kennedy airport. A Port Authority spokesman says the accident happened at around 8 a.m. inside the new Jet Blue terminal, which is currently under construction. Authorities say the worker suffered head trauma and then went into cardiac arrest after falling six feet. The worker later died at the hospital. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Port Authority's investigation team are looking into what caused the worker to fall.


Man in Kentucky Kills 5 Co-Workers

HENDERSON, Ky. — A man who worked at a Henderson plastics company called his girlfriend from the plant about two hours before he fatally shot five people and then killed himself and told her that he was going to kill his supervisor, police officials said at a news conference on Wednesday. The man, Wesley Neal Higdon, had been reprimanded for talking on his cell phone while working at the Atlantis Plastics plant and failing to wear safety glasses. Earlier that evening, he had fought with a co-worker, Joshua Hinojosa. His supervisor, Kevin Taylor, ordered him to leave the building about midnight Wednesday. In all, six people died —Mr. Taylor of Dixon, Ky, 30; Hr. Hinojosa, 28, of Sebree; Trisha Mirelez, 25, of Sebree; Rachael Vasquez, 26 of Sebree, and Israel Monroy, 29, of Henderson. Mr. Higdon, 25, was also from Henderson.


Tow driver killed on I-80 roadside

Peoria, IL - The owner of a towing company who died on the side of Interstate 80 on Monday morning was remembered Tuesday as a "great boss" and "kind man." William B. Waite, Jr., of Ladd was working on a broken down tractor-trailer on the right-hand shoulder of the eastbound lane near the Utica exit when a semi driven by Mark D. Boehm, 43, of Spring Valley slammed into the back of the truck Waite was servicing. Illinois State Police are investigating the fatal accident. Waite was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:07 a.m. by LaSalle County Coroner Jody Bernard. Boehm was not injured. Waite, the owner of Waite’s Service and Towing of Cherry, was accompanied by employee Christian Henninger, 30, of LaSalle. Henninger was severely injured in the accident.


West End flagger killed in highway construction accident near Brinnon

BRINNON, WA — A construction flagger was killed Monday when she was struck by a construction dump truck on U.S. Highway 101. The flagger was identified at the scene as Lynette M. Anderson, 49, of Beaver. According to Washington State Patrol Sgt. Kent Hitchings, Anderson, an employee of Lakeside Industries, was struck by a dump truck belonging to Wood Hawk Inc. of Port Angeles. The truck was carrying asphalt for the 15-mile paving project in which both were working. The accident took place around 11:30 a.m. between Mileposts 310 and 311, on U.S. 101 near Canal View Street south of Brinnon. Hitchings said Anderson was tasked with directing the trucks around the work site and was not directing through traffic.


Construction Worker Killed By Truck

WEST HARTFORD, IL - A construction worker was killed instantly when he was struck by a dump truck Monday morning on South Street, just off New Britain Avenue. The worker, a Naugatuck man in his 50s, got caught between the truck and a roadway milling machine he was working with about 7:10 a.m., said Capt. Bill Erickson of the West Hartford police department traffic division. The truck is registered to Bob Pabst Land Clearing & Trucking Inc., a Woodbury-based hauler. Calls to Pabst were not immediately returned. Police could not confirm the name of the construction company the worker was employed by.


1 of 6 people hurt in Santa Paula area farm blast dies

Camarillo, CA - One of the six people injured in a weekend explosion at a farm near Santa Paula died Monday and the five others remained at burn centers, authorities said. The explosion occurred about 3:40 p.m. Sunday at San Cristobal Distributing, an agricultural harvesting company located at 20991 South Mountain Road. Margarito Gonzales, 22, was using a torch to cut the lid off a 55-gallon drum when a petroleum product inside the container ignited, causing it to explode, sheriff's Capt. Ross Bonfiglio said. Gonzales died about 7:30 a.m. Monday at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, said Adelaida De La Cerda, a hospital spokeswoman. Sergio Penton, 22, remained in critical condition at the hospital with burns over 35 percent of his body, De La Cerda said.


Newlywed Killed Outside North Phila. Car Wash

PHILADELPHIA, PA ― Police are searching for two suspects involved in the fatal shooting of a newlywed outside of a North Philadelphia car wash Monday evening. The shooting happened outside a car wash located at the intersection of North Broad Street and West Lehigh Avenue. Police said two suspects shot a 37-year-old male numerous times before fleeing the scene with an unknown amount of cash. The victim was rushed to Temple University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Investigators said the victim, an immigrant who was married just one month ago, collected money at the car wash. No arrests have been made. If you have any information on this incident, contact Philadelphia Police.


Worker killed in fall from ladder

HAVERHILL, NH — A Pelham, N.H., man fell to his death in an industrial accident yesterday at Haverhill Paperboard Corp. in Bradford. No foul play is suspected in the death of Lloyd Benjamin, 49, who fell about 25 feet from a ladder and struck his head, said Steve O'Connell, spokesman for District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. Benjamin was taken by ambulance to Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, where he was pronounced dead shortly after the 9 a.m. accident, police said. He and Brenda Benjamin lived in a duplex at 96B Dutton Road in Pelham, according to town assessing records available online. The phone line at Benjamin's home was disconnected, and attempts to reach relatives were unsuccessful last night.


Two Dead In South Jersey Plane Crash

Philadelphia,PA - For the second time in less than two days, there's been a deadly small plane crash in southern New Jersey. State police say two men were killed Sunday morning when a jet-engine aircraft went down in a densely wooded area of Cumberland County. Police say the pilot was 65-year-old William Crean, a war veteran, of Sewell, New Jersey. He also owned a pool business. Sources say his passenger was 57-year-old Fredrick Gault of Gloucester County. Friends of William Crean told Fox 29 News he was a hard-working man, who died doing what he loved. "Billy was a good friend. He would always help you, he was kind and he loved flying," said Anthony Marsella.


Docks accident kills employee

Mobile, AL - Authorities continued Sunday to investigate an accident on a coal ship at the Alabama State Docks that killed one man and injured another early Saturday. Tim Huff, a millwright with the State Docks, fell to his death inside the hold of a massive coal-bearing bulk carrier at about 3 a.m. Saturday, docks and union officials said Sunday. Another man, a crewman on the MV CELERINA, fell while attempting to rescue Huff, officials said.


Pueblo officer collapses, dies on duty

PUEBLO, Colo. - Pueblo police are mourning the death of an officer who collapsed and died while running toward a disturbance downtown. Thirty-year-old Nicholas Heine (HI'-nee) died Saturday morning. Police Chief James Billings says Heine and other officers were responding to several disturbances when Heine collapsed. Officers performed CPR on Heine, but he died later at a hospital. Billings says the department wasn't aware of anything that might have indicated Heine was at risk of a heart attack. The official cause of death wasn't immediately known. Heine served with the department for seven years. Survivors include his wife, two daughters and his mother, who also is a Pueblo police officer.



Chemical reaction kills worker at plant

Middletown, OH - Nothing was unusual Saturday morning, June 21, in the Mayfield neighborhood that surrounds United Waste Water Services Inc. Several neighbors said the smell was typical. So strong — one woman said it was like "a dead animal" — that they went inside and closed their windows. A few hours later, something went terribly wrong inside the plant at 2640 Lefferson Road when an employee was killed by a chemical reaction, according to the Middletown Police Department. Tom Rogers of Cincinnati died after a chemical reaction caused a release of toxic gas hydrogen sulfide around 10:30 a.m. at the plant, said Capt. Greg Justice of the Middletown Fire Department. Dave Brown, president of the company, said he had no idea how the accident happened and he didn't want to speculate.


Federal prison guard stabbed to death

CA - The 22-year-old guard, who had been on the job for less than a year, was killed by two inmates using homemade weapons at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, near Merced, prison officials say. Two inmates fatally stabbed a prison guard Friday afternoon in an incident under investigation by federal authorities, officials at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, Calif., said Saturday. Jose Rivera, 22, of Chowchilla was attacked by inmates armed with homemade weapons about 3:30 p.m., according to a statement by Warden Dennis Smith. The assault took place in an inmate housing unit and the alleged assailants were immediately restrained, he said. Rivera was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:15 p.m.


Customers Remember Slain Store Clerk as Kind

Lakeland, FL - A suspect in the shooting death of Jashavantal Patel, 54, remains at large. A table full of artificial flowers and stuffed animals is set up outside the door to the Rightway Food Store/Citgo station where Jashavantal Patel was killed last week. Also on the table is a letter to the family of the slain man. "Our prayers and thoughts are with you. Your father was a wonderful man. We will miss his kindness and smiles," the unsigned letter says. Patel, 54, of Winter Haven, was shot and killed by an unknown gunman Friday morning. Robbery is thought to be the motive.


Christian music studio owner and employee murdered; Texarkana teens arrested

Shreveport, LA - Two young men from Texarkana have been arrested in connection with a double murder in the Dallas area in which the owner and an employee of a Christian music recording studio were shot during an apparent robbery. The suspects were in one of the victim's car. Texarkana police had stopped the vehicle Thursday evening after it was seen near a disturbance in Texarkana in which a police officer had been assaulted. Matthew Butler, 28, the owner of Zion Gate Records, and Stephen Swan, 26, the sound engineer, were killed late Wednesday or early Thursday as they left the Garland studio after working on a project. Nothing in the studio appeared missing but Swan's car was gone, police said. A passerby noticed the bodies early Thursday


City mourns YPD officer, Detective Sgt. Robert Deichman was driving his unmarked car on Salt Springs Road when it collided with a tractor-trailer.

YOUNGSTOWN, OH — Great police officer, family man, dedicated, decent, fun, energetic, good person. These words are used by colleagues as they remember Detective Sgt. Robert Deichman, a nine-year Youngstown police veteran who died in a traffic accident early Thursday. “He was a good human being, a family man,” said Detective Donald Scott, who had known Deichman for 10 years and worked closely with him. “He will be sadly missed.” The Youngstown Police Department and the Canfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol released information about Deichman, who was killed at about 3:20 a.m. in the 2750 block of Salt Springs Road, a light industrial area. Deichman, 40, was on call and driving an unmarked police car when he collided with a tractor-trailer.


1 Man Killed, 7 Injured After Wall Collapses at Rice University

Tampa,FL - A wall collapse at a construction site on the Rice University campus has left one worker dead and seven others injured. The collapse happened at around 4 p.m. Five workers were trapped when some of the walls that were being built for dormitories collapsed on the building’s second floor. One man died while four others were transported to local hospitals. The extent of the injuries sustained by the workers is unknown. Currently the cause of the collapse is being investigated. The building has been under construction since last year and is set to open in the fall of 2009. A separate investigation by the contractor and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will attempt to determine the cause of the collapse.


Ansonia man dies under falling elevator

Los Angeles, CA - A 64-year-old maintenance worker at Derby Cellular Products on Roosevelt Drive was killed Tuesday morning when a freight elevator fell on him, authorities said. Robert Beckwith of Ansonia, a 30-year employee of the company, suffered a severe head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene. Derby police spokesman Lt. Sal Frosceno said it was not immediately known what Beckwith was doing when the elevator fell on him. Frosceno described the elevator as "not a big unit" and "not something you stand in." He did not know its weight or dimensions.


Industrial accident kills shipyard worker, Victim identified as 24-year-old Dimitri Hicks

Mobile,AL - A worker was killed early Wednesday in an apparent accident at Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. near downtown Mobile, authorities said. Nancy Johnson, a Mobile police spokeswoman, identified the victim as 24-year-old Dimitri Hicks. She said the incident occurred about 7 a.m. Billy Wiik, Bender's human resources manager, said Hicks was a shipfitter. "The guy was a real good worker," Wiik said. "He had worked here for more than two years. It was just a freak accident, but a tragedy." According to Johnson, Hicks was operating an overhead crane and somehow became pinned between a large sheet of steel and a wall. Wiik said the crane is on an overhead rail and is used to move large pieces of metal.


Falling tree kills County worker

Wilmington, DE - County Paramedics have identified a tree surgeon killed when a tree he was working on fell on him Wednesday afternoon. James Corcoran of New Castle was working on the tree in Bringhurst Woods off Shipley Road in North Wilmington. Corcoran, who'd been working for the County for about 5 years, was pronounced dead at the scene. County Executive Chris Coons says it's a tragic loss because Jimmy was a terrific employee and a wonderful person. It should be noted Corcoran was named Employee of the Year shortly before his tragic death.


N.C. State Trooper shot and killed during traffic stop

RALEIGH, NC — Trooper David Blanton Jr. was shot and killed during a traffic stop late Tuesday evening in Haywood County. Edwardo Wong II, age 37, of Ormond Beach, Fll. has been charged with the crime and is being held without bail in the Haywood County jail. “The patrol family has lost a member and the state of North Carolina has lost a dedicated public servant,” said Colonel W. Fletcher Clay, Commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Trooper Blanton was patrolling a stretch of I-40 Tuesday night when he pulled over a vehicle that was towing a passenger car, which was operated by Wong. During the stop, an altercation occurred between Trooper Blanton and Wong and Blanton was fatally shot. The suspect then reportedly took Blanton’s weapon and fled. A passing motorist called for assistance.


1 Dead In Cape Plane Crash

Boston, MA - Cause Of Crash Under Investigation. A pilot was killed Wednesday when his plane crashed just after takeoff at a Cape Cod airport. The Wiggins Airways freight plane crashed at about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The pilot, Mark Conway, 44, of Martson Mills, Mass., was the only person on board the DeHavilland C6 turboprop when it crashed. "It was a turboprop plane that crashed at a about 10:15 in the morning. We do have one confirmed fatality," airport manager Quincy Mosby said.


Worker dies after falling from gas-drilling rig

FORT WORTH, Texas - A worker died over the weekend after falling from a gas rig south of Fort Worth. Jason Trichel fell Saturday evening near Crowley. He was airlifted to a Fort Worth hospital, where he died about an hour later. The Tarrant County medical examiner's office says the 27-year-old worker died of head injuries. A Tarrant County sheriff's spokesman says the cause of the fall isn't clear yet, but it appears to be an accident.


Man fatally crushed by Davis County mobile home

Salt Lake, FL - A 43-year-old construction worker was killed after being pinned underneath a mobile home in Davis County. The man and two other workers were attempting to lower a mobile home near 520 South 1300 West in Woods Cross when the structure shifted, crushing the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday afternoon, said Sgt. Ekolu Delos Santos with the Woods Cross Police Department. Though the man is a resident of Salt Lake County, he is a native of Duchesne County, Delos Santos said. His name was not immediately released pending family notification.


Former Ellwood City, Beaver Falls sports coach Leif Ellis killed

Beaver,PA - When Leif James Ellis coached Ellwood City’s wrestling team nearly 10 years ago, he enjoyed working with the kids, said one rival coach. After a short-lived coaching career mentoring local teens — who were only a few years his junior — Ellis fathered a child of his own two weeks ago. That child will never know his father. Ellis, 30, was killed Friday in a workplace accident in Morgantown, W.Va., where he was working with Lone Pine Construction Co. Ellis, of Fallowfield Township, Washington County, was electrocuted, according to a report in the Morgantown Dominon-Post.


Worker killed at Granite City demolition site

GRANITE CITY, IL - A 58-year-old St. Louis man died Wednesday after falling from a boom lift at a demolition site in the area formerly known as the Commonwealth Steel factory. Howard Brown died from injuries he suffered as he was attempting to dismantle a building on the property at 1100 Niedringhaus Ave., authorities said. The Madison County Coroner's Office reported that Brown died as a result of blunt force trauma to the chest and head when he fell as he was using a blowtorch to remove a steel beam on the building and it broke free, causing the roof to partially collapse, knocking him off the lift.


Paramedic And Patient Killed In Tuesday Morning Crash

Salisbury,MD - Two people are dead and two others injured after an early morning ambulance crash in Delaware. One of those killed was a paramedic. It was a tragic ambulance crash in Angola, Delaware. A paramedic and a patient die while heading to Beebe Medical Center. The ambulance slammed into a tree around 2:40AM Tuesday while trying to avoid a deer in the road. One witness, who didn't want to be named, called 911 once she heard the crash She tells WMDT, "I could hear one of the EMT's calling out for his friend . . . And then we heard her cries." But the calls for help couldn't save the two. 31-year-old EMT Stephanie Calloway, 31 and patient Betty Hall, 82 both died. A single teddy bear has been left in the spot where those lives were lost along Route 24. Glenn Luedtke, Director Of Sussex County EMS, says, "We are a family, we will get through this as a family." The woman who witnessed the accident says, "I don't know how they do it everyday. And then for them to have it happen to one of their own, my heart goes out to them."


A painter died after falling head-first from a three-story roof in Aurora today.

The 44-year-old man was reportedly leaning over the edge of a roof, caulking beneath the gutter when he plunged down onto concrete below, said Aurora fire Capt. Mark Turley. Fire paramedics were dispatched to the apartment in the 2600 block of South Cathay Way about 10 a.m. and attempted CPR on the man, who suffered suffered massive head injuries, Turley said. The victim, identified as Rodney Curtis Jones, was transported to Aurora South Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the Arapahoe County Coroner.


Rules Review for Bryan Trucks to Come After Death Investigation

College Station,TX - The City of Bryan has resumed repairs involving bucket trucks in emergency cases, but routine repairs are still on hold, this as an investigation continues into the death of Alex Constancio, the city worker who fell from a bucket truck while working on a traffic signal. City Manager David Watkins says the first thing the city is trying to do is figure out all the facts in the accident. A final report could take weeks, and until all the facts are gathered, they won't review safety practices. Watkins says he's not aware of any contact between the city and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, as cities are not subject to OSHA regs.


Business owner killed

Alex Huh, 40, an Asian man, was shot to death inside his business in the 300 block of North Oxford Street in Hollywood on Sunday, June 15. Huh was pronounced dead at the scene. Los Angeles Police Department officials said Howard Huh, 67, an Asian man (no relation), walked into LAPD's Hollywood Station and told officers that he had shot Alex Huh, his former employer. Officers found Alex Huh inside the Beverly Hot Springs Spa, which he owned. Police said the shooting occurred during an argument between the two men. Howard Huh was arrested on suspicion of murder


Explosions kill welders at two biodiesel facilities

Grand Forks,ND - An explosion at Greenlight Biofuels LLC in Princess Anne, Md., on May 18 killed a contractor who was welding pipes in the idled 4 MMgy multi-feedstock plant. The exact cause of the explosion is being investigated, but company President Allen Cunningham said the facility’s safety features worked as designed. Another welder died April 15 in an explosion at Western Biodiesel Inc. in High River, Alberta, while conducting repairs. The plant suffered structural damage but was expected to be back in operation by late June, according to Chief Exeuctive Officer Dean Cockshutt. The process equipment at the 5 MMgy multi-feedstock plant was mostly unaffected.


Worker Killed at Echelon Construction Site

Las Vegas, NV - A worker was killed Monday morning while removing scaffolding at the Echelon construction project on the Las Vegas Strip. The 50-year-old carpenter reportedly suffered severe head trauma when he was pulled down by the scaffolding while trying to move it. The victim fell about 12-15 feet and died at the scene. He was wearing a safety harness. This is the first death at Boyd Gaming's Echelon, which is being built at the old site of the Stardust. Construction on the $4.8 billion project began last year and is expected to be completed in 2010. In a statement, Boyd Gaming said work at the site has been halted for the rest of the day in order to honor the worker.


A 24 yr. old construction boilermaker was killed in a 80 foot fall at a Big Stone , SD power plant on Memorial Day, 2008.

Bismarck, ND - The employer was ICI out of Bismarck, ND, and the boilermaker's name was Roberto Pearson, a great young local 647 (Ramsey, MN) apprentice who as I understand it loved his trade, and his brother & sister boilermakers. He will be missed.


Worker Killed in Newark Construction Accident

NEWARK, NJ - Police say a construction worker in Newark has died after a concrete wall toppled onto him. The victim was working at SBS Steel on Herbert Street at 10 a.m. when the wall fell on him. The prefabricated wall was being moved by a crane Monday morning when the incident happened. The worker was taken to UniversityHospital in critical condition, where he died.


Worker killed at Derby business

Bridgeport, CT — A maintenance worker was killed in an accident at Derby Cellular Products this morning. The 61-year-old man was fatally injured in an incident involving an elevator at the Roosevelt Drive business, according to Lt. Sal Frosceno, the police spokesman. "We are investigating an industrial accident there," he said. Investigators were still at the scene around noon and no more details about the accident were immediately available. Derby Cellular Products manufactures molded, extruded and fabricated rubber products.


2nd victim hit at racetrack dies

A 52-year-old Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center employee critically injured when hit by a truck while walking to his car June 1 after a car race in Kansas died Saturday. James C. “J.J.” Jenkins suffered a major brain stem stroke Saturday, said his wife, Joy McGrew Jenkins. She is a registered nurse case manager at Muskogee Regional Medical Center. She said she knew an hour before the stroke that he was brain dead and nothing more could be done.


Park and Rec employee dies

Charlotte, NC = A Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation employee died Saturday from injuries suffered in an accident on the job one day earlier, county officials announced Monday. Warren Thomas Tinner Jr., 54, had worked for the department for 10 years, and was a maintenance and operations assistant. A county news release stated that co-workers believe he fell from a ladder and hit his head in a storeroom at a warehouse on Allegheny Street. He was taken to Carolinas Medical Center where he underwent surgery. He died Saturday morning. County officials said they reported the incident to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is expected to conduct an investigation. APRIL BETHEA


Miner killed in Northumberland County

Harrisburg,PA - A 40-year-old miner was killed this morning at the Harmony Mine in Mount Carmel Twp., Northumberland County, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. The miner, whose name has not yet been released, died after the mine roof collapsed about 10:15 a.m., DEP spokesman Tom Rathbun said. Other miners were able to get him to the surface and he was airlifted to a hospital where he died later. No one else was injured, Rathbun said.


Hanford worker dies before ruling

RICHLAND, BENTON COUNTY – A worker who was splashed with hazardous and radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation in 2002 died last week of cancer, one day before a federal appeals court ruled in his lawsuit against a contractor at the site.
Daniel Golden, 56, of Sunnyside, Yakima County, died Tuesday. He’d been diagnosed with cancer a little more than a year ago, said his son Dave Golden. Before his cancer diagnosis, Daniel Golden filed suit against U.S. Department of Energy contractor CH2M Hill Hanford Group, claiming the accident caused him physical injuries ranging from colitis to sinusitis, as well as emotional distress. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday remanded part of the case to U.S. District Court in Eastern Washington.


Painter dies after falling off apartment building

AURORA, CO - The fire department says a painter doing some caulking died after tumbling off a roof Monday.Firefighters say the 44-year-old man fell off the roof of a three-story building at Balterra at Sterling Hills, located at 2622 South Cathay Way, around 10 a.m. According to the Aurora Fire Department, say the man was apparently reaching over the gutter to do some caulking when he fell off the roof. The man was taken to Aurora South Hospital where police say he was pronounced dead. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration has been called in to investigate. The victim's name was not immediately released.


Bronx cab driver stabbed and killed in Yonkers

YONKERS - A cab driver was stabbed in the neck and killed on Riverdale Avenue yesterday morning. He is the second cab driver to be killed in the city this month. Police said John Alli, a 46-year-old from the Bronx, was found stabbed around 4:45 a.m. inside his Bronx-licensed cab outside 93 Riverdale Ave. He was taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center where he died. Police are investigating whether robbery was the motive. Alli might have been driving a passenger from New York City to a Riverdale Avenue address when he was attacked, police said. Sam Abdul, a member of the Yonkers Islamic Center at 100 Riverdale Ave., said that when he left an early morning prayer session just before 5 a.m., he saw the street filled with police cars.





Man dies after fall from drilling platform in Crowley

A 27-year-old man died Saturday after he fell off a drilling platform in Crowley. Jason Trichel of Bangs was working about 6:19 p.m. when he fell off the platform’s edge at a drilling site in the 3300 block of St. Francis, said Terry Grisham, a Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department spokesman. Mr. Trichel was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where he died from his injuries. It is unclear how he fell off the platform. The Tarrant County medical examiner’s office ruled the death as an accident. Officials with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration are expected to investigate.


Worker killed in Cowboys stadium accident

ARLINGTON, Texas, June 15 - A 45-year-old electrician was electrocuted at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium under construction in Arlington, Texas, authorities say. Arlington Fire Department Battalion Chief Neal Strasser said Timothy Mackinnon was working on the football stadium's electrical system Saturday when he touched a high-voltage line and died despite efforts to revive him, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Sunday. JMEG Electrical, the subcontractor that hired Mackinnon, offered its condolences to his family and said an investigation would be conducted. "Our focus right now is with the family and friends of this individual, as well as on the investigation of the incident," the company said in a statement.


Tractor Tips Over In Jefferson, Killing Two, Man, Woman Pronounced Dead At Scene

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A farm tractor overturned, killing two people in Jefferson Township, Greene County on Saturday. Stephen Yourchik, 20, of Clarksville, and Leah Zwerver, 23, of Waynesburg, were riding a farm tractor up a steep hill on Pitt Gas Road when the machine tipped and rolled over on them. Authorities pronounced the two dead at the scene at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Police said the two were riding the tractor to retrieve a truck in which they were off-roading that got stuck in some mud.


86-Year-Old Man Killed in Farming Accident, He was pinned under his tractor for 23 hours

Salina,KS - An 86-year-old Kansas farmer has died, four days after he was pinned under his tractor for 23 hours.Authorities in Mulvane say Paul Elder's leg was crushed and he suffered severe burns. His calls for help were silenced by the tractor's idling motor. He was airlifted to the Via Christi Saint Francis burn unit in critical condition. He died Tuesday.