Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Employee killed inside Pomona barbershop

POMONA, CA -- A barber shop employee was shot to death today at his place of business in Pomona, police said. Larry Hammett, 46, of Ontario, was shot multiple times in the upper body about 11:20 a.m. at Groom Time All Star Barbers, 924 E. Holt Ave., near Reservoir Street, said Pomona police Sgt. Rick Baker. He was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, where he was declared dead, Baker said. Police are looking for two men in their early 20s, Baker said.


2 dead after bar shooting

FREEPORT, TX — Police are investigating the start of an argument at a Freeport club that left two men dead and one woman wounded early Saturday. Michael George, 54, of Lake Jackson was arguing with his wife, 45, when it escalated and George pulled a .38-caliber revolver and shot her in the face. He then fatally shot an James Woodruff, 44, an employee of the club, Freeport Police Lt. Steve Ricks said. George then took his own life, Ricks said. “James suffered four gunshot wounds,” Ricks said. “Witnesses indicated (George) pointed the gun to his own head, but it clicked. He went back to his vehicle, sat in the passenger side, loaded one round and shot himself in the head.”


Worker falls to his death at Lafayette business

LAFAYETTE, NJ - A man who was doing maintenance work in a bucket truck at a Sussex County business fell 35 feet to his death Friday morning, police said. Michael Biron, 52, of Hampton, was pronounced dead at Morristown Memorial Hospital after sustaining severe head injuries from the fall, which happened at the Lafayette Schering-Plough Research Institute about 8:15 a.m. It is unclear what caused Biron to fall. "There is no evidence of foul play," Sussex County Prosecutor David Weaver said. Weaver said the accident remains under investigation by the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office, State Police and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.


Elderly farmer killed by tractor saw

BELLAIRE, MI - An 84-year-old farmer in Antrim County was killed Tuesday after falling into a saw blade that was attached to the front of his tractor. The Sheriff's Department said 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 and sustained a head injury. He had died by the time emergency rescuers arrived. The Sheriff's Department is withholding the farmer's name until relatives are notified


Taxi Driver Found Dead on Taylor Street

Rochester, NY - Rochester Police are searching for the person who shot and killed a taxi driver around 10 p.m. Friday at the corner of Taylor Street and Love Street. Police responded to a report of a man shot in a cab, which had crashed into a fence. They found the driver slumped over the wheel of the Airway Taxi cab with a gun shot wound to the head. Co-workers have identified the driver to be Abdelraham Ahmed. They said he was in his 40's. Police are asking anyone with information to call 911.


Wash. firefighter killed on Northern California fire

REDDING, Calif. - National Park Service firefighter Andrew Palmer, 18, a firefighter with the Olympic National Park headquartered in Port Angeles, Wash. died Friday evening. He died while being transported by air to Redding, Calif. for emergency treatment of multiple injuries. Palmer was a firefighter assigned to the Iron Complex of fires on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The incident occurred on the southwest flank of the Eagle Fire late Friday afternoon, approximately 50 miles east of Redding, Calif. "Andy was a dedicated and energetic firefighter who loved his job. We are all very sad, and our thoughts are with his family and the rest of the firefighters on this fire," said Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin.


Whiting man crushed to death by I-beam

HAMMOND, IN - A 52-year-old Whiting man was crushed early Thursday by an I-beam at Berlin Metals, a metal coil processing plant, the Lake County Coroner said. Julio A. Chirinos, a resident of the 1600 block of Lake Avenue, was working the third shift at the plant while moving a piece of equipment about 11 p.m. Coroner David Pastrick said Chirinos reportedly was hit in the chest and torso when he accidentally stepped in front of a beam that was being lifted by a crane inside the plant. Chirinos was pronounced dead in the Saint Margaret Hospital Emergency room at 12:02 a.m. He died of blunt force trauma injuries to his chest and torso, Pastrick said.


Restaurant manager shot to death

HOUSTON, TX - Police are investigating a deadly shooting at a popular restaurant.
It happened in the parking lot of the Chili's restaurant on the North Sam Houston Parkway and Wilson in northeast Harris County. Police say a man who had been asked to leave the restaurant later opened fire on restaurant manager Louis Monroy.
Police say the suspect, Michael Hare, 24, is a regular customer at the Chili's. Authorities say Hare was at the bar drinking and making advances towards a female employee. After being told his advances were not welcome, Hare left the restaurant. Monroy later escorted the female employee to her car. She left and that's when detectives say Monroy was confronted by Hare. Monroy was shot several times and died in the parking lot.


DOT worker hit by SUV while setting up cones dies

NIAGARA, NY - A state Department of Transportation worker died Wednesday night after being critically injured earlier in the day when he was struck on a job site by a motorist who lost control of his SUV while trying to pick up a lit cigarette, Niagara County sheriff's deputies said. Kevin Forsyth, 46, of Dorwood Park in Wilson, was struck at 8:40 a.m. while setting up traffic cones near Porter Road and Young Street, said Chief Deputy James Voutour. A DOT official told The Buffalo News today that Forsyth, a transportation department supervisor, died about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday in Erie County Medical Center. Forsyth had been taken by Rural/Metro Medical Services ambulance to ECMC, Voutour said. Voutour said the driver of the sport utility vehicle, Frank Serba, 47, of Homeyer Road, Wheatfield, told deputies he became distracted when he dropped a lit cigarette and bent down to pick it up. Serba's vehicle crossed the westbound lane, the center line and traveled across nearly 10 feet of roadside before striking Forsyth in an adjacent parking lot, Voutour said.


Second worker dies at plant in 2 weeks

Memphis,TN - A 55-year-old forklift operator at Quebecor World Printing in Olive Branch collapsed and later died Wednesday afternoon. Asst. Chief Don Gammage of the Olive Branch Police Department said Kasey Hopper, a forklift operator at the printing plant on Hacks Cross, had stopped to get a drink of water when he collapsed. Police were called at 1:56 p.m. Ambulance crews responding reported that Hopper was in "full arrest." He was taken to Methodist Hospital in Germantown, where he was pronounced dead at 2:43 p.m. The death was the second for a Quebecor employee in two weeks. Bridget Bickham, 41, of Memphis was found unconscious in a restroom in the plant at 1:07 a.m. July 10. She died later that morning. No definite cause of death has been determined and a final autopsy report has been delayed, pending the outcome of toxicology studies.


Whiting man killed in apparent industrial accident

HAMMOND, IN - A Whiting man was killed early Thursday morning in an apparent industrial accident at Hammond-based Berlin Metals, the Lake County coroner's office confirmed. Julio Chirinos, 52, was pronounced dead at about 12:30 a.m. in the emergency room of St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers in Hammond. Chirinos died of multiple blunt force trauma in what was an apparent industrial accident, said Jeff Wells, the coroner's chief deputy. Berlin Metals owner Roy Berlin said Chirinos was struck by a piece of machinery while working on the company's third shift. Chirinos worked for the company for less than a month, Berlin said. Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators were on the scene of the accident Thursday morning, Berlin said.


Fire Chief Killed On The Job

Pulaski, Wis. - The Pulaski fire chief died after an accident while on the job. Police said an out-of-control pickup crushed 76-year-old Frank Wichlacz between a garage door and a parked water tanker while firefighters were cleaning equipment Wednesday morning. A firefighter was moving a pickup when it accelerated out of control. Neighboring departments have been answering calls for the department. Wichlacz had been a member of the Tri-County Fire Department since July 1957 and chief since December 1985.


New York Fire Police Officer Collapses, Dies

HOOSICK, NY - Firefighters here are preparing to bid farewell to one of their own. Fire Police Officer David Meron, 58, was found unresponsive Sunday night in the parking lot of the Hoosick Fire Department. He had responded to two alarm earlier, and collapsed as he was going to his vehicle. Fellow firefighters initiated CPR, but their efforts proved fruitless. Meron had been a volunteer with the department for more than five years.


Illinois Mourns Firefighter Killed

FORREST, IL - A 24-year-old man from Fairbury has been identified as the firefighter who died during a house fire in Forrest on Tuesday night. Brian J. Munz was pronounced dead in the emergency room of OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac, according to a statement issued by Livingston County Coroner Mike Burke. The Fairbury fire department was draped in black bunting Wednesday as firefighters and state fire marshals continue to investigate the scene of the fire, which also caused minor injuries to another firefighter. Friends and family of the owners of the Forrest home on the 300 block of West Watson Street assembled at the house Wednesday morning to wait and watch as investigators continuted their work. Homeowner Todd Somers said today is a devastating.


Bogue Chitto man killed in logging accident

BROOKHAVEN, Miss. - A 42-year-old Bogue Chitto man has been killed in a logging accident in rural Lincoln County. County Coroner Clay McMorris said Carlos Whitley was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday morning after a tree fell on him as he was cutting timber. McMorris said Whitley and the other employees of Ferguson Logging Company, which is owned by Whitley's father-in-law, were clearing timber around 6:20 a.m. when he was killed. Sheriff Steve Rushing said his department will investigate but that the death appeared to be accidental.


Worker killed at Ford's Woodhaven stamping plant

Detroit, MI - A die-setter was killed at Ford Motor Co.'s Woodhaven Stamping Plant this morning, prompting the company to temporarily close the factory. "We express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the worker who died at Woodhaven Stamping this morning," said Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski. "We are conducting a thorough investigation." She said the family had requested that the worker's name and occupation not be released and said Ford was honoring that request. Other sources at the factory told the News the man was a die-setter crushed while loading a transfer press. Kozleski said the plant's day shift was sent home to facilitate the investigation, but said the second shift should report as scheduled. "Safety is something we take very seriously," she said.


Worker found dead at Jones Creek Golf Course

Jackson,TN - Jackson police are investigating to find out if a worker who was found dead at Jones Creek Golf Course this afternoon suffered a heart attack or other medical problem or if he was killed in a work-related accident. Police went to the city-operated Jones Creek Golf Course on Paul Coffman Drive after receiving a call at 2:30 p.m. today. The man was found under an overturned golf cart, police said. The man's name has not been released pending notification of his family, but he is believed to be in his 60s, police said. No one else was injured.


Worker killed in accident on U.S. 321

LENOIR, NC - A 35-year-old female dump truck operator from the Lenoir area was killed at the construction site on U.S. 321 North between Lenoir and Blowing Rock just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press release issued by the Caldwell County Office of Emergency Services. It appeared the dump truck, belonging to WC English contractors, was attempting to dump a load of dirt on a steep area when the truck slid or brakes failed and it began going backward down a steep grade. The female apparently attempted to jump from the truck and was struck by the vehicle. The truck continued off into a ravine about 200 feet deep.


Roadside worker killed by pickup after Gulf Fwy. collision

Houston, TX - A man collecting trash along the Gulf Freeway was killed Tuesday when a pickup truck that had been involved in a collision when trying to avoid debris spun off the road and struck him, police said. The 27-year-old man was among a crew picking up trash along Interstate 45 near Edgebrook when the accident happened about 8:30 a.m. His name was being withheld. A driver in the southbound lanes swerved to avoid a box of insulation which apparently had fallen off a truck, said Officer O.D. Lewis. The car veered onto the outside shoulder, then back into traffic, where it clipped the rear of a pickup, Lewis said. Both vehicles then spun out of control, skidding across the grassy area between the freeway and the southbound access road, the officer said. The pickup fatally struck the worker. Both vehicles continued across the grass and the access road, coming to rest on the sidewalk. The drivers were not injured. The accident remains under investigation. The crew was employed by David & Ivory Ministries of Houston, which has a contract with the Texas Department of Transportation to clean up trash along the freeway, said Michael Tyler, who said he works with the ministry. The workers were wearing orange vests, and signs had been posted to warn drivers that the crew was working. "We are fortunate and blessed that there was no other person hurt," Tyler said. "But it still doesn't take away from the pain."


Veteran Alabama Power Employee Dies in Accident

VERBENA, AL - Alabama Power Company says a longtime employee has died in a tragic accident. 52-year-old Robert Lynn Courtney, a hydro journeyman at Mitchell Dam died Tuesday morning at the the hydro generating plant near Verbena. The Associated Press reports that Courtney's body was pulled from the Coosa River by several Chilton County sheriff's department divers just before noon. Courtney was a 35-year veteran of Alabama Power, spending the last 20 years on the job at Mitchell says Alabama Power in a statement released to the media.


Police ID cabbie killed in crash

St. Louis, MO - The cab driver killed after his vehicle struck a sign post Sunday in north St. Louis County has been identified as Rickey J. Viner, 47, of St.Louis. Viner was driving a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria west on Interstate 270 near St. Charles Rock Road about 3:45 a.m. Sunday. About 300 feet east of St. Charles Rock Road, his car ran off the north side of the road and struck a sign post. He was taken by ambulance to DePaul Hospital, where he died. No one else was in the cab at the time.


Road worker found dead

Sealy, TX - Sealy police found the body of a road construction worker in the 1200 block of Highway 90 West after he collapsed at the site Thursday. “An officer was patrolling Hwy 90 and saw someone lying on the ground,” Lt. Jay Reeves said. “He turned around, got to the subject and realized he wasn’t breathing.” Police said Asberry Roberson, 67, of Lincoln died of natural causes. “It was determined, after speaking to the family, that he had preexisting medical conditions, so (Justice of the Peace Cheryl Kollatschny) ruled it a natural death,” Reeves said. Sealy Police Department, Austin County Sheriff’s Department and EMS responded to the scene.


Body of employee found in Mount Clare store

Baltimore, MD - An assistant manager at the Family Dollar Store in the Mount Clare Shopping Center in Southwest Baltimore was found slain at her workplace this morning, according to city police. Authorities did not release the victim's name (Elizabeth Queensbury, 51) today, saying her relatives had not yet been notified. Several store employees arrived for work around 9 a.m. and were surprised to find the door to the store locked. They waited and then called another assistant manager to let them into the building at the shopping center in the 1200 block of W. Pratt St. Inside the employees found the woman's body fully clothed and covered in blood, police said. It was not immediately clear how she had been killed, said Agent Donny Moses, a police spokesman. Moses said that detectives believe the motive for the killing was robbery, but he added that it did not appear that anything had been taken.


Firefighter killed in St. Louis-area standoff

MAPLEWOOD, Mo. - A rookie firefighter was killed and two police officers were wounded when a gunman opened fire in Maplewood early today. The gunman might still be holed in a burning home, and police sharpshooters have swarmed the neighborhood near South Big Bend Boulevard and Zephyr Place. The dead firefighter has been identified as Ryan Hummert, 22, the son of a former Maplewood mayor. Hummert was fatally shot as he got out of a Maplewood fire truck that came to fight a vehicle fire about 5:45 a.m. Monday. The gunman -- believed to be hiding in a home on Zephyr -- then shot two Maplewood police officers.


Northern Panhandle worker killed in warehouse fall

WELLSBURG, WV - A worker at Northern Panhandle industrial site is dead after falling through a warehouse roof and landing 25 feet below. The Charleston office of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration is investigating. Prentice Cline, OSHA's assistant area director, said he could not immediately identify the victim (Eugene Diserio, 57) of the Monday morning accident. He says it may be several days before he can release more details on the accident at Eagle Manufacturing in Wellsburg. Eagle's Web site says it makes industrial safety and storage containers, as well as hazardous waste management systems. President James Paull did not immediately return a telephone message about the accident.


Winsted workplace death under investigation

Hutchinson, MN - The McLeod County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death at S J & F Material Handling in Winsted. James Edward Charpentier, 37, of Lester Prairie, received fatal injuries at about 4:43 p.m. Thursday (July 17), while in the S J & F parking lot. Communications Sgt. Jen Otto did not release more specific information because the investigation was “still unfolding.” McLeod County Sheriff Scott Rehmann reportedly told the Herald-Journal Charpentier was struck by racking that fell from a truck. Otto said the Sheriff’s Office is working with the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration to determine the immediate cause of Charpentier’s death.


Man dies in fall

Bridgeton, NJ - A Franklin Township man died after falling 60 feet from a cellular phone tower Friday morning on Mays Landing Road near Panther Road, police said. Gerard Leclercq, 55, was up doing maintenance work on the tower when he fell around 10:51 a.m., according to Lt. Alan Pagnini of Vineland Police. Pagnini said that the tower was approximately 140 to 150 feet tall and had a built-in vertical ladder. "(Leclercq) fell off a lower portion," Pagnini added, noting it was "unclear whether he was wearing safety gear." Three other men working with Leclercq were on the ground when he fell. They were all employed by Paramount Advanced Wireless, in Pennsauken.


Local man killed in logging accident

Rocky Mount, VA - A Rocky Mount man was killed in a logging accident on Altice Mill Road Thursday morning. James Larry Hodges, 60, had finished hinging one tree and moved on to the next tree when the first one broke loose and began to fall, according to Maj. Josh Carter with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department. Co-workers tried to warn Hodges, but he did not hear because his chainsaw was running, Carter said. His back was turned to the falling tree. The tree struck Hodges from behind, Carter said. Hodges died at the scene.


Man, 19, electrocuted in Anne Arundel, Worker falls into hole with live wire

Baltimore, MD - A 19-year-old contractor for Baltimore Gas and Electric died Saturday night after he fell into a hole he had dug in Severna Park and came into contact with a live power line, Anne Arundel County police said. Thomas Kikas Jr. of Middle River, an electrician trainee with Riggs Distler and Co., was restoring electricity to four homes in the 200 block of Berrywood Drive when he slipped and fell into a hole, about 3 feet deep, where a cable was leaking voltage, according to the president of Riggs Distler, a BGE subcontractor. Kikas was unconscious when he was pulled from the hole by a co-worker and a witness, who both attempted to revive him. He was taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The accident occurred around 10 p.m. Saturday, police said.


Safeway mechanic dies on job

Tracy, CA - Callers say Manteca man may have died from heatstroke in Tracy. A diesel mechanic at the Safeway Distribution Center on West Schulte Road may have died from heatstroke while working Sunday. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that Frank Pacheco, 50, had died and that the cause of death is under investigation. A co-worker who asked to remain anonymous said Pacheco had filled up trucks with fuel on July 8, a day that saw temperatures reach 110 degrees. A barbecue for Safeway employees was taking place nearby, where misters were available to cool folks down, but no misters were set up for the workers fueling the trucks. Pacheco reportedly passed out at some point during the afternoon barbecue, and he was admitted to Sutter Tracy Community Hospital. Five days later, Pacheco died. “His brain was fried from the heat,” said a friend of the family, who also asked to be unnamed in this story.


Man Suffered Fatal Wounds From Industrial Grinder

PERRIS, Calif. A man fell into an industrial grinder and suffered fatal injuries Friday at a plastic bottle recycling plant in Perris, according to the Riverside County coroner. Eric Paul Ford, 41, of Perris, fell into the machinery at 3:05 p.m. Friday at a business identified as Global Plastics, 353 E. Ellis Ave. in Perris, according to the coroner. Ford was pronounced dead at 4 p.m. at Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley, coroner's officials said. Officials at Global P.E.T. in Perris could not be reached for comment this morning. The business' web site states that Global P.E.T. grinds polyethylene terephthalate bottles - often used to package soft drinks, water, beer, mouthwash and condiments - into small flakes for conversion to plastic sheeting. The web site includes photos of baled material on a forklift, ground plastic and rolls of plastic sheeting strapped to wooden pallets. The grinder Ford fell into is known in the industry as a bale breaker.


Seasonal sanitation worker killed in fall from truck

Long Island, NY - A Suffolk County police officer working as a seasonal sanitation worker while he was on leave from the department was killed when he fell off the back of a garbage truck in Baldwin and struck his head on the ground, authorities said. The accident happened Thursday, the officer's third day on the trash-collecting job. Police detectives and the state's occupational safety agency are investigating how Roy Seibert, of Baldwin, fell from the moving truck around 8:33 a.m. as it traveled south on Grand Boulevard near Van Buren Street, a sanitation district official said Friday. "There was a little dip in the road there that we believe might have contributed," said Bob Noble, secretary to the board of commissioners of Sanitary District 2 that covers Baldwin, Roosevelt, South Hempstead and part of Uniondale. "Did he lose his footing? Did he let go? Was he wiping sweat off his brow or something? We really don't know why he fell off the truck."


Attempt to pass in work zone proves deadly, officials say

Fargo, ND - A 26-year-old Cass County Highway Department worker killed Thursday after a motorist struck him and a paving machine near West Fargo is identified as Ben Lenzen Jr. of Fargo. A sport utility vehicle was heading westbound on County Road 10 between West Fargo and Mapleton at about 7:13 p.m. when it entered a construction zone where the crash occurred, Capt. James Prochniak of the North Dakota Highway Patrol said Friday. Crews were resurfacing the westbound lane at the time.



East Naples man who shot Fort Myers officer vowed to 'go out Miami-style'

FORT MYERS — A 30-year-old former missionary who began his career as a Fort Myers police officer a year ago was gunned down Friday by an East Naples man who has a lengthy criminal record and had bragged to bystanders that he would shoot a police officer, authorities said. The 26-year-old East Naples man with a history of committing crimes in Collier and Lee counties was shot to death by police early Friday after he killed the officer. In an emotional press conference at City Hall, Fort Myers police and city officials identified Andrew Widman as the slain officer.


Welding accident kills man

TX — A man who apparently was welding a cooking oil tank died Friday in an explosion outside an automotive repair shop. The man, whose name was withheld until his family could be notified of his death, was apparently a customer of the business, authorities said. A business partner of the auto shop owners knew the victim, saying he had worked for him as a welder. Authorities said the man was welding a sealed tank in a box truck outside Brake Stop, 12301 state Highway 6, shortly before noon. Santa Fe Fire Chief C.T. Tommy Anderson said the tank was used to store cooking oil. Pressure from the heat likely caused the tank to rupture, and a small fire broke out. Firefighters quickly extinguished it.


Man Killed In Scrap Yard Blast

CADIZ, WV - A Belmont County man was killed instantly in an explosion at Mamula Scrap Yard just east of the village on U.S. 250 on Thursday morning. Harrison County Sheriff Mark Miller said the victim, 50-year-old Robert L. Kuhn, 75900 Fair Road, Flushing, was killed while using cutting torches on a tank or other scrap metal when the blast occurred at the old Ohio Machinery site. He had been employed by the scrap yard for approximately three years, according to Miller. A report of the explosion was received at the sheriff's office at approximately 11:45 a.m. The force of the blast blew the cutting torches the victim was using approximately 200 yards across U.S. 250. "It was a strong blast in my estimate," said Miller. "Apparently the cutting torches came in contact with an igniter, possibly nitrate, causing the explosion."


Roofers electrocuted in Murrysville, 2 killed, another critically hurt when their scaffolding touches power line

Pittsburgh, PA - Two roofers were electrocuted yesterday in Murrysville and a third critically injured when a 35-foot aluminum pole used for scaffolding escaped their control and came into contact with a 7,200-volt power line. Despite the efforts of paramedics, who used defibrillators, and several good Samaritans, including a veteran nurse and a pediatrician, two employees with WR Buzz Daily & Son of Greensburg were pronounced dead at Forbes Regional Hospital within an hour of the incident. The deceased were identified as James Bolen, 52, of Jeannette, and William McNemar, 50, of Turtle Creek. Autopsies will be conducted today by the Allegheny County medical examiner's office, which has custody of the bodies because the hospital where they died is in Monroeville. Police did not release the name of the third worker, who was badly burned and taken by helicopter to UPMC Mercy. They said he is in his 40s.


Sabattus man killed in crash

SABATTUS, ME - A 36-year-old Sabattus man was identified as the truck driver killed in a single-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon on the Maine Turnpike. Maine State Police identified Randy Sebring of Sabattus as the driver of the truck owned by Lynn Ladder and Scaffolding of Auburn. Sebring was an employee of the company and was returning to the company after making a delivery in Thorndike, police said. The crash took place in the southbound lane of the turnpike in Sabattus when the truck struck the center guardrail and came to rest in the median, police said.


Police: Trunk snaps, killing tree-service worker

LITTLE ROCK, MS - Police say a tree-service worker standing by while his boss felled a tree in a yard in west Little Rock was killed accidentally when the crown of the falling tree hung up on another one and the trunk then snapped backward. A police report shows Keith L. Chadwick, 52, of Little Rock, died in the accident Friday morning. The report says Chadwick's employer, Joseph Fore of Fore's Tree Service, told the investigating officer that Chadwick was standing behind the tree as Fore cut it with a saw. The report says as the tree began falling, its upper branches became entangled with those of another tree and its trunk snapped at the cut and shot toward Chadwick. Officers say the trunk pinned Chadwick against a fence.


Investigation of Houston crane collapse begins

HOUSTON, TX — Federal investigators on Saturday began trying to figure out why one of the world's largest mobile cranes toppled over, killing four contract workers and injuring seven others. Officials said it could take time before knowing what caused the 30-story-tall crane to collapse Friday at a LyondellBasell refinery in Houston, the latest of several deadly crane accidents around the country. The massive crane, capable of lifting 1 million pounds, was owned by Deep South Crane & Rigging, which Saturday released the names of its four workers killed in the accident. "We wish we had all of the answers on what happened and why — but we do not — and speculating on cause would not resolve anything," the company said in a statement. "But we are actively working to find those answers." The four men killed were: Marion "Scooter" Hubert Odom III, 41, of Highlands; John D. Henry, 33, of Dayton; Daniel "DJ" Lee Johnson, 30, of Dayton; and Rocky Dale Strength, 30, of Santa Fe, Texas.


Juárez police commander killed inside police station

El Paso, TX - A Juárez city police commander was killed early Friday inside the Cuauhtemoc police station by an armed group of men wielding assault rifles, police spokesman Jaime Torres said. Authorities identified the victim as police Lt. Javier Alarcon Ruiz, one of several people who appeared on an anonymous list of alleged potential targets. The armed commando entered the police station in the Bermudez Industrial Park without any problem, located Alarcon and sprayed him with AK-47 rounds, police said.


Pilot killed landing plane at Sunriver Resort airstripCrash

Portland, OR - Douglas Sharratt, a high-tech CEO, had the plane tilted, witnesses say. The head of a California high-tech company died Wednesday when his twin-engine turboprop plane crashed and burst into flames while trying to land at the Sunriver Resort's airstrip. About 10 a.m. Douglas J. Sharratt, 50, chief executive officer of ProSoft Technologies of Bakersfield, Calif., landed his Cessna 441 tilted toward its right, said Owen Shirley of La Pine, who saw the crash. "It looked like he was landing fine, but he was tilted too far to one side, so the running gear didn't hit right," said Shirley, who was waiting to take a glider flight.


Great Bend man killed when tank explodes

GREAT BEND, Pa. - An autopsy will be performed today at Barnes-Kasson Hospital in Susquehanna, Pa., on a 23-year-old garage employee who died Tuesday afternoon in an industrial accident. Steven Eugene Osterhout, 23, of Hallstead, Pa., was pronounced dead at the hospital after suffering head injuries in the mishap. Pennsylvania State Police at Gibson listed the death as accidental. The autopsy will be done by Susquehanna County Coroner Anthony Conarton of Great Bend. Osterhout died of injuries suffered while he was working on a forklift at the garage where he was employed, according to state trooper Greg Deck. Osterhout was struck in the head by either a gauge or a valve after a tank he was using in the repair work apparently exploded, investigators said.


Ex-Worker Killed Manager, Police Still Investigating Fatal Shooting

LAS VEGAS, NV - Just a day after being terminated, a former gas station attendant returned to his former job and killed the manager. That's according to witnesses of the fatal shooting. Police received the call just after 8 a.m. Wednesday. When they arrived at the station near Sky Pointe Drive and Cimarron Road, they found the victim fatally shot, police said. "Several customers and employees were inside the store," Officer William Scott said. "They heard the shooting that occurred in the back office. A few of them called 911."


Plant worker crushed in Miami

MIAMI, FL - A man working at a Miami recycling plant is dead after being run over by a 40,000-pound front-end loader. The accident happened Wednesday morning at Downtown Concrete Recycling. A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue says the loader was moving piles of concrete and dirt when the worker was crushed to death. He was killed instantly. Authorities didn't release his name, but the man's family showed up at the plant and identified him as 55-year-old Pedro Garcia.


Man dies from electric shock at Safford Gin

Safford, AZ - A 39-year-old construction worker died Wednesday morning from an electric shock at the Safford Gin, according to a report by Graham County Sheriff Frank Hughes. At 6:54 a.m., deputies were called to the scene and found Phillip James Hughes Jr. (no relation to the sheriff) unconscious on a mechanical lift platform. According to the report, Hughes was working for a local construction firm, which was performing maintenance on the roof of the gin. Apparently, Hughes raised the platform without noticing nearby power lines, which struck him in the head and delivered a fatal shock. All Safford Gin employees were sent home for the day. The incident is under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Heath Administration.


Michigan man, 83, killed in lawn mower accident

MAYBEE, Mich. — An 83-year-old London Township man was killed Tuesday when the lawn mower he was operating overturned in a ditch along Gramlich Road, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. A farmer driving a tractor sprayer found Ivan R. Homrich under the lawn mower in the ditch about 8:30 p.m., nearly four hours after family members noticed that he was missing and began searching for him. The body was taken to the Wayne County Medical Examiner for an autopsy.


Fatal Shooting at Convenience Store

Las Vegas, NV - A man was shot and killed this morning at a convenience store in the northwest valley. It happened around 8 a.m. at the Guru Express Market on Sky Pointe Drive near U.S. 95. Police say a store employee was shot several times during an argument in the back office. There were reportedly nine people in the store at the time who heard the gunshots. Witnesses say the victim was having a conversation with another person, who may have also been an employee. So far, police haven't released any info on the suspect, as the investigation continues.


Counstruction worker dies after modular building collapses on him

Bakersfield, CA - The county coroner is releasing the name of the construction worker who died after a modular building collapsed on top of him. 20-year old Adan Fraga of Merced died about an hour later at Kern Valley Hospital. The accident happened yesterday afternoon right before two o'clock. Fraga was working for Sure Fit Company doing a job at Kern Valley High School when the building came down and crushed him. Cal-OSHA is investigating.


Worker Dies After Truck Hits Crane in Queens

NY - A construction worker was killed on Tuesday when he was knocked off a small crane after a large truck hit it, the police said. The worker fell about 15 feet to the ground. The truck, which was hauling wooden crates, was headed south on Steinway Street near Broadway in Astoria, Queens, about 5 p.m. Tuesday when it crashed into the crane. The crane, a Genie Z-80/60 known as a man lift, was being used at a work site at 32-56 Steinway Street, officials said. The worker, who was on top of the crane, suffered head trauma when he fell, officials said. The man, described by the police only as being in his 40s, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens, where he later died, the police said.


Construction worker falls to his death in Harford Co., Man is second to die in industrial accident in recent weeks

Baltimore, MD - For the second time in three weeks, a construction worker has died in an industrial accident in Harford County, authorities said today. An adult man, who was not identified, fell about 40 feet from a roof to a concrete floor at a warehouse under construction in Perryman. Police and emergency crews responded to the 2:40 p.m. accident at the building site at 511 Chelsea Road, an area where there are several large warehouses. The worker, who was wearing safety gear, was moving sheet metal on the roof when he fell and died at the scene, police said. Police are withholding the identity of the victim, who resides out of the state, until notifying his family. On June 24, Emilio Ernesto Herrera, 42, of Silver Spring was pronounced dead at a Belcamp warehouse after falling about 18 feet from scaffolding at an appliance storage facility.



Helicopter Crash In Baxter County Kills Two

SALESVILLE, AR - A helicopter with workers inspecting power lines in northern Arkansas crashed Tuesday near the Norfork Dam, killing two people aboard, officials said. The helicopter, owned by Ozark Mountain Helicopters, crashed just before 9:30 a.m., FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said. Baxter County sheriff's deputies said the helicopter came down on the south side of the North Fork River, downstream from the dam in the Overlook Estates area. Baxter County Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Lewis identified the dead as pilot James Dean Evertsen, 57, of West Plains, Mo.; and passenger Randall J. Arthur, 51, of Marshfield, Mo., an employee of Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative. Lewis said both of the men's bodies likely will be sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for autopsies.


Pole falls, killing Huntington day camp worker

Long Island, NY - A Huntington day camp worker died after a 90-pound aluminum pole from a bungee ride fell on his head while his son watched, police and camp officials said. Daniel Garcia, 58, of Brooklyn, was part of a summer maintenance crew at West Hills Day Camp, director Mike Moore said Tuesday. Garcia's son, Andris Garcia, 29, of Huntington, is the maintenance foreman at the 21 Sweet Hollow Rd. camp. Monday afternoon, Daniel and Andris Garcia were fixing the Euro Bungy, in which up to four children are put into harnesses attached to the 20-foot-tall ride and jump up and down, Moore said.


Brown County worker killed in tractor rollover

TOWN OF HOLLAND, Wis. - A Brown County parks employee has been killed in a tractor rollover while mowing along the Fox River State Recreational Trail in northeast Wisconsin. Brown County Executive Tom Hinz says the worker's name isn't being announced because the case is still under investigation by the Brown County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff's department has said paramedics responded to a farm field near the trail Monday night. They found the worker dead at the scene. Hinz says the worker was on the job when the rollover happened.


Contractor killed by electricity on job

EDISON —A 33-year-old township man died after he was accidentally electrocuted during a contracting job at a Glendale Avenue home, police said. Gustav Olsen, a heating and air-conditioning contractor, was working in the attic of the residence around 4:50 p.m. Friday when the accident occurred, Lt. Joseph Shannon said. An investigation revealed that he was electrocuted when he touched a 220-volt line in a live junction box.


Waterfront Restaurant Worker Dies In Apparent Robbery Attempt, Police Question Person In Shooting; No One Arrested

WEST HOMESTEAD, Pa. - An armed man entered a Waterfront restaurant at closing time and fatally shot an employee early Sunday morning. Allegheny County homicide detectives said employees were closing Damon's Grill on West Waterfront Drive at about 12:40 a.m. when the victim Brian Lee, 19, of West Mifflin was shot by a robber.


Authorities withhold identity of man killed at work site

Pensacol, FL - The identity of a man killed at a construction site has not been released because his next of kin had not been notified, officials said. The man was on scaffolding at a construction site adjacent to Pensacola Regional Airport on Thursday when a bucket of concrete suspended in the air by a forklift fell and landed on him. He (Juan Solorzano-Morales, 32) was an employee of Selective Masonry, one of the project's subcontractors. The accident happened in the 5700 block of Tippin Avenue, where a $21 million fleet storage facility is being built for the airport's car rental companies.


Cabdriver found slain in St. Petersburg is identified

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The cabdriver found slain near Azalea Middle School on Saturday morning has been identified as Linda Faison, 39, who police say was going through a divorce and might have been staying in a local motel. Sunday night, St. Petersburg police investigators said Faison was divorcing Thomas Faison of Orlando, who has been notified of her death. The Police Department would give no further details at that time. Thomas Faison could not be reached.


RT worker killed by light-rail train

Sacramento - CA -A 40-year-old Sacramento Regional Transit District employee was struck and killed in North Highlands by a light-rail train Thursday afternoon, authorities said. Sacramento County coroner's officials identified him as Troy Steven Schafer of Rocklin. RT officials said the track maintenance employee was lubricating the tracks east of the Watt/I-80 West light-rail station when an train traveling between Longview Drive and Watt Avenue hit him about 1:25 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.


Worker dies in fall inside Lower Heidelberg foundry

Reading, PA - A worker was killed Saturday morning when he fell 12 feet and hit his head in a Lower Heidelberg Township foundry, officials said. Glenn Binkley, 53, Exeter Township, fell from a plank at Aluminum Alloys Inc., 4601 Penn Ave., township police said. Another worker, whose name was not released and who was with Binkley on the plank, fell the same distance but suffered only minor injuries, police said. The accident occurred about 9:40 a.m.


Worker killed in forklift accident

ANAHEIM, LA - A 34-year-old construction worker was killed today when a forklift bucket that was being loaded with debris tipped forward and struck him, a fire official said. The accident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at an apartment construction site on Katella Avenue, west of State College Boulevard and the Stadium Lofts development, said Maria Sabol of the Anaheim Fire Department. The name of the victim, who worked for a subcontractor, was withheld pending notification of his family. He was part of a six-man plaster crew working on stucco, Sabol said. The operator of the forklift, who was on a separate crew, had positioned and extended the bucket to the second floor where other workers were tossing debris, Sabol said.


Worker on interchange by TK killed

Mobile, AL - A construction worker building an interchange at the entrance to the ThyssenKrupp AG plant in Calvert died in a construction accident early Friday evening, state Department of Transportation officials said. James R. Hall, 37, of Montgomery, was operating a heavy piece of equipment at about 4:45 p.m. when he tried to dismount it and was crushed, Mobile County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kate Johnson said. No one else was injured, Johnson said, and added Hall's death appears to be an accident. Hall's death is still under investigation, Johnson said.


Three charged in Shenandoah beating death

Shenandoah, PA - Two teens were charged with homicide in connection with the July 12 beating and subsequent death of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala in Shenandoah. A third faces other charges related to the incident. Brandon Piekarsky, 16, and Colin Walsh, 17, both of Shenandoah, are incarcerated in Schuylkill County Prison after being arraigned before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon, today.



Customer Kills Store Clerk Over $5 T-shirt

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Atlanta Police are searching for a man accused of murdering a convenience store clerk over a $5 t-shirt. It was his job every Saturday. So like usual, Elliott Glass was mopping the floor at the Quick Stop Food Mart in southwest Atlanta off Cascade Road. He was almost done. Glass says he was squeezing the water from his mop by the door when a young man walked in around 12:30 Sunday morning. "I just told him 'watch the floor. It's wet. Be careful.'" Glass says the man walked towards the store clerk, another store employee identified as Hobie, who was behind the register shielded by a bullet proof glass. My back was turned and the guy ordered a t-shirt. A 5X white t-shirt." He overheard Hobie asking for $5, and the customer paying. But Glass says his friend couldn't fit the t-shirt through the money slot of the protective glass. So, he opened the door. "He just shot him, 'Pow.Pow.Pow.' Point blank range. Ain't no more than about this far apart," said Glass, spreading his hands apart 3 feet. "The gun was still clicking as he passed me as he was going out the door."


Police Seek Leads In Deadly Waterfront Robbery

Pittsburgh, PA - Allegheny County homicide detectives are seeking leads after a gunman killed a 19-year-old kitchen worker during a restaurant robbery at the Waterfront. Police say it happened at about 12:40 a.m. Sunday while two employees were closing Damon's Restaurant. A gunman forced his way in through the back door and shot kitchen working Brian Lee, of West Mifflin. He then ordered the manager to give him an undetermined amount of money before leaving. Lee was later pronounced dead at the hospital.