Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Grocery employee shot, killed while chasing robber

November 21, Kansas City, Missouri - Police have arrested two men in connection with a robbery-turned homicide earlier today on East 12th Street. A grocery store's employee and his brother tried chasing down two guys who had robbed Abarottes Grocery, only one of them shot the employee near 12th and Bales. That man was pronounced dead later at the hospital. The brother followed the suspects to an apartment building, which police then surrounded. A couple of hours later, police arrested two men. Tony's story is here. And the official, original police statement is below the jump.


Driver killed when semi slams into building at rest stop

November 19, Harquahala, Arizona - Officials have identified the driver of a semi truck who was killed when his vehicle slammed into a building at a rest stop west of the Valley Wednesday. Edward A. French, 45 , of Long Beach, California died in the violent crash. Officials with the Department of Public Safety said five people were in the backyard of a residence at the Burnt Wells rest stop when the truck came barreling through.


One person killed in Miley Cyrus tour bus crash

November 20, Richmond, Virginia - Miley Cyrus' tour bus driver was killed when the bus he was driving overturned on a Virginia highway. Cyrus was not in the bus involved in the accident; however, she was part of a 4-vehicle caravan that was traveling to Greensboro, North Carolina for a concert. Virginia state police said the bus overturned on Interstate 85, about 40 miles south of Richmond. Nine other passengers, part of Cyrus' concert production crew, had minor injuries in the crash. Cyrus' manager told TMZ that, "It was one of our tour buses, but not Miley's. It was one of our buses that transported our lighting crew."


PGW employee killed in accident at plant

November 20, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - An early morning accident today at Pittsburgh Glass Works LLC on Southern Avenue has resulted in the death of an employee. According to plant manager Jerry Hornyak, at approximately 9:30 a.m., an employee operating some material and handling equipment at the plant was killed. He did not go into detail as to what specifically happened. Local EMS and Chillicothe Police were called to the scene and the Ohio Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was notified of the fatality. The name of the employee has not yet been released pending notification of the family.


Pacific Railroad Employee Killed in Boyle Heights Drive-By

November 20, Los Angeles, California - Police searched last week for whoever killed a man in a drive-by shooting in Boyle Heights. The victim was fatally shot near Union Pacific Avenue and La Puerta Street about 8:40 p.m. on Nov. 11, according to Officer Karen Rayner, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman. News reports identified the victim as Ademio Morales, 43. The vehicle from which the shots were fired was a white compact with tinted windows, possibly a Toyota Corolla, a watch commander at the LAPD’s Hollenbeck Station said last Thursday.


STRATA employee killed on highway: Family says sorrow won’t turn to anger

November 20, Vernal, Utah - Richard Adams lived long enough to tell those first on the scene of the accident that claimed his life that he’d gotten a glimpse of the car that crossed the road and struck him. In that instant when he knew he was going to be hit, his response was not one of anger, said those who know him best. “Richard was a man of peace — a disciple of Jesus Christ,” wrote Brad LeBaron, Adam’s brother-in-law and president of the West Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “He set that example of forgiving and turning aside from wrath.”


St. Paul firefighter's death is declared in line of duty

November 21, St. Paul, Minnesota - As a St. Paul firefighter, Ramon "Ray" Hain came in contact with a patient's body fluids in 1997. Doctors think he contracted a rare disease that weakened his heart. Hain, of Roseville, got a heart transplant in 1998 but had to retire in 2000 from the job he loved. In recent months, the 50-year-old Hain's heart began failing. He died last Saturday. Despite the years that have passed, the St. Paul Fire Department considers his death to be in the line of duty — its first such death in 20 years — and his name will be inscribed at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Md.


Corrections officer dies in collision on U.S. 95

November 21, Las Vegas, Nevada - A corrections officer with the Metropolitan Police Department died early this morning when the van he was driving was involved in a collision on U.S. Highway 95 near Searchlight. Daniel Leach, 49, a 25-year veteran of the department, died after his southbound van clipped the second trailer of a 10-wheel dump truck that was making a left turn to head north on 95, police said. He was the only occupant in the vehicle. Two occupants of the dump truck were uninjured. Leach was beginning his shift at the time of the 5:45 a.m. accident, en route to Searchlight, about 50 miles south of Las Vegas, when the accident occurred.


Port Angeles worker killed cleaning up highway slide

November 19, Port Angeles, Washington - A Port Angeles state transportation worker was killed Thursday by a falling limb. 42-year-old Neal Richards died when the tree limb fell on him while clearing a slide about mid-day Thursday west of Port Angeles. Richards was helping clear debris from a mudslide on Highway 101 near Indian Hill. Richards worked for the Port Angeles detachment of the WSDOT since 1998 and was most recently a maintenance lead tech in Port Angeles.


Wabasha man found dead on silo ladder

November 20, Rochester, Minnesota - A 49-year-old man was pronounced dead Friday after authorities found him stuck on a silo ladder at the Drysdale farm just outside Wabasha. The cause of death appears to have been an unknown medical issue, according to a report from the Wabasha County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called to the farm at 10:12 a.m. with a report of a man stuck on a ladder with a safety cage on the outside of a silo. He was about 35 feet off the ground.


Clerk found dead at Village Pantry store

November 21, Indianapolis. Indiana - Metro police are searching for suspects who robbed a village pantry Saturday morning and shot and killed the clerk. It happened around 5 a.m. in the 1400 block of South Meridian Street. It was still dark when a customer stepped inside the south side convenience store, and walked into a robbery in progress. "A customer arrived just after 5 a.m. and noticed 2 individuals in the clerks area inside the village pantry gathering merchandise. Just digging through taking packs of cigarettes from the shelf," explained Sgt. Paul Thompson.


Man dies Wednesday following accident at Kent Boeing plant

November 19, Kent, Washington - Kent Police and Boeing officials are investigating the circumstances that led to a man dying in what appears to be an industrial accident at about 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Boeing plant in Kent. Firefighters from Kent and Tukwila responded to the plant near the corner of South 212th Street and the West Valley Highway. They were able to confirm that a man died as a result of a piece of machinery, according to a Kent Fire Department media release. The man was authorized to be in the area and use the machinery where the incident took place.


Facilities management department employee dies

November 19, Richmond, Virginia - A VCU Facilities Management Department contract employee died of natural causes while at work Tuesday afternoon in the Temple building on the Monroe Park Campus. Nora Ann Gaines, 62, told Broadcast Engineer for the College of Humanities and Sciences John Geerdes she was not feeling well around 2 p.m. and asked him for a glass of water. "(Gaines) was in the audio bay, sitting in a chair," Geerdes said. "(I) went to get her a cup of water and then I look back in the audio bay and she collapsed in the chair and fell on the floor."


53-year-old worker dies in New Springville construction accident

November 20, Staten Island, New York - A Staten Island construction worker was crushed to death by a reversing dump truck driven by his co-worker this afternoon on Richmond Avenue near Rockland Avenue in New Springville. Jody Reese, 53, of Tottenville, was standing behind the white Mack truck, out of view of either mirror, police said. When the driver began to back up, Reese was crushed by the rear and then the front tires. Emergency responders worked to revive Reese, before he was taken to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze where he was pronounced dead.


Woman killed in forklift accident

November 20, Columbus, Ohio - A worker was killed in an accident this morning at the Pittsburgh Glass Works plant in Chillicothe. Paramedics were summoned at 9:24 a.m. on a report that a female worker was injured at the Southern Avenue facility, fire department officials said. The woman, whose identity was not immediately released, was declared dead at the scene. The woman was operating a mechanized device used to retrieve packages when she was struck by a falling object, said Bill Wilkinson of the Cincinnati office of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.


Truck driver killed in early-morning I-10 wreck

November 20, Houston, Texas - Portions of Interstate 10 and U.S. 59 near downtown were shut down for hours this morning after a fatal traffic crash involving an 18-wheeler early this morning. A single-vehicle wreck occurred on the westbound I-10 East Freeway near Jensen about 3:15 a.m. Officials closed the westbound freeway near the area for several hours while police and emergency workers cleared the site. Also, two southbound lanes of the U.S. 59 Eastex Freeway at Jensen were closed for a time as investigators determined how the wreck occurred. Police said it appeared the big rig, traveling on wet pavement because of overnight rains, veered out of control and slammed into a guardrail, then a concrete pillar supporting the overpass at Jensen. The driver, a 44-year-old woman whose name has not been released, was killed.


Funeral held for Kosciusko County officer killed in crash

November 18, South Bend, Michigan ― It is a somber day today in Kosciusko County. Friends, family, and even complete strangers are saying a final farewell and thank you to a man who served and protected the community for 15 years. Kosciusko County Sgt. Jeffery Shaw was killed in a traffic accident last week. His funeral started around 11 a.m. at the Warsaw Community Church. The funeral procession headed to the cemetery after that service ended.


North Slope worker dies at Prudhoe Bay

November 19, North Slope, Alaska - A North Slope worker was killed Wednesday when a pickup truck pinned him against a section of pipe. He is the second man crushed by a vehicle in Prudhoe Bay in roughly three weeks. New Jersey resident Mike Phelan, 59, died in the accident at Prudhoe Bay's North Gas Injection Pad a little after 2 p.m., BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said. Phelan was a BP contractor who worked for MISTRAS Group Inc., a Princeton Junction, N.J.-based outfit that evaluates the structural integrity of energy and industrial infrastructure.


Boating accident leaves dredging contractor dead

November 18, Gansevoort, New Jersey – State Police are investigating a boating accident on the Hudson River that led to the death of a contractor working for General Electric as part of the Hudson River dredging project. Jeffrey Harbison of Lambertville, N.J. was pulled from the water Tuesday after the disabled boat he was in went over a dam, according to a fire official. Keith Burch, first assistant chief with the Gansevoort Fire Department, said Harbison was still alive when initially pulled from the water but was being treated as a "cold water drowning" victim.


Jobsite Entrapment Kills Worker in Dakota Dunes

November 18, Dakota Dunes, South Dakota - A construction worker is dead after a job-site accident in Dakota Dunes Tuesday morning. The Union County Sheriff's office says a 27-year-old man was installing forms for a basement on Bluestem Trail when a dirt wall collapsed on him. Co-workers were able to free the victim and begin CPR but he did not survive.


Forklift kills worker at Burris Logistics

November 18, Staunton, Virginia — A 27-year-old Greenville man was killed after he was pinned underneath a forklift at Burris Logistics. The tragic workplace accident occurred on Friday morning, November 13, 2009 on Mount Torrey Road in Lyndhurst, as reported by the Waynesboro News Virginian.Matt Megginson, 27, of Greenville reportedly lost control of a standup forklift at Burris Logistics, when it overturned and pinned the man underneath the heavy machine.


Gas well blowout near Grand Cane kills 1

November 18, Grand Cane, Louisiana - The DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office says one worker was killed and a second seriously injured by a natural gas well blowout. Sheriff's Lt. Toni Joe Morris says deputies evacuated about two dozen houses within two miles of the Chesapeake Energy well, which blew about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Names of the dead and injured worker are not yet available.


2 men killed by falling trees during storm cleanup

November 19, Seattle, Washington - Two men were killed in Western Washington while trying to clear trees damaged in recent windstorms - a 42-year-old state Transportation Department worker and a 24-year-old Sedro Woolley man working for a private contractor. The DOT worker was killed near Port Angeles after being hit by a falling tree limb. A DOT spokeswoman says Neal Richards was working to clear a slide on U.S. 101 near Indian Hill when the tree fell.


Truck driver killed in fiery accident in NY suburb

November 16, Continental Village, New York - New York State police say a truck driver was killed in a fiery accident while attempting to avoid an oncoming car on Route 9 in northern Westchester County. Police say a southbound car crossed the center lane and veered in front of the tractor trailer at about 2:30 p.m. The truck swerved off the roadway and struck a tree, its cab bursting into flames. Police say the driver died at the scene. Emergency workers had to use power tools to remove the other driver, who was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. Part of the roadway has been closed in both directions.


BTES lineman electrocuted on Hickory Tree Road

November 18, Bluff City, Tennessee – Local investigators are still puzzling over how a local utility worker was electrocuted and thrown from a utility pole Tuesday morning. Bristol Tennessee Essential Services lineman Ronald E. Norris, 34, died while working on a power line behind a home on Hickory Tree Road in Bluff City, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Norris, of Bluff City, leaves behind a wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, police said. A co-worker on a nearby utility pole told investigators that he saw a flash of light and then spotted Norris on the ground. The co-worker performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until an ambulance arrived, but to no avail.


One killed, another injured, after crane collapses

November 17, Houma, Louisiana — A crane collapse this afternoon at a Houma business left a 30-year-old worker dead and another in critical condition, according to the Terrebonne Sheriff's Office. Heath Perkins, of Montegut, was pronounced dead at 2:44 p.m. at Leonard Chabert Medical Center. He was working inside the welding shop at Elevating Boats, 201 Dean Court, off Industrial Boulevard, about 1:30 p.m. when the crane came crashing into the building.


Hay baler crushes farmer

November 15, A 60-year-old St. Helena farmer died Sunday after being crushed by a hay baler, St. Helena authorities said. Kenneth Bridges, 23754 La. 441, was oiling the chains inside of his New Holland round hay baler when a hydraulic line snapped, closing the baler on him, said Maj. Michael Martin, chief of operations for the St. Helena Parish Sheriff’s Office. Bridges was working alone on his farm located near Easyville at the time of the accident, Martin said. Authorities were called to the scene at 2:30 p.m. by Bridges’ associate who was coming to help with the farm work, Martin said.


Street worker killed in accident

November 14, Scott, Arkansas - Authorities say a 71-year-old Lonoke County street crew employee has been killed in a work accident. Sheriff's Lt. James Kulesa said Friday that the man, whose name hasn't been released, was working near a bridge in Scott when a grader ran over him about 4:15 p.m. Thursday. The grader hit the worker while the driver was putting the machine in reverse to park. Kulesa said the driver thought his co-worker was standing elsewhere. He also said the man had hearing problems and may not have noticed the machine's reverse signal.


Grocery store clerk killed in Lake Worth robbery known for his generosity

November 16, Lake worth — A man was shot and killed by gunmen in a convenience store robbery on Friday night, authorities said. Miguel A. Gonzalez-Huicochea, 38, of Lake Worth was working in Los Cunaos Grocery on Dixie Highway just south of 10th Avenue North, when two apparently teenage gunmen walked into the store about 9:45 p.m. They were dressed in black and covered their faces in white clothing, according to a statement by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. One carried a semiautomatic handgun. The other had a revolver.


West Virginia employment attorney News: Guardian Fiberglass worker killed by roller

November 16, Martinsburg, West Virginia — A Guardian Fiberglass employee was fatally injured when he somehow became caught in an insulation roller at the company’s insulation plant near Inwood. Bill Willison Sr. was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:15 a.m., at the plant located at 4812 Tabler Station Road, as reported by the Martinsburg Journal. The lead mechanic, Bill Willison Sr., 50, was reportedly conducting maintenance work on an insulation roller at the fiberglass plant, when he somehow became struck in the roller. The insulation roller is a piece of machinery designed to have paper fed through the rollers. Police officials stated it does not appear that foul play was involved, and have since ruled the death as an accident. Rescue teams had to utilize cutting torches to free Willison’s body from the roller.


Farm Worker Killed When Tractor Rolls Into Canal

November 16, Palm Beach County, Florida - A 37-year-old farm worker was killed when her tractor rolled into a canal Monday morning in western Palm Beach County. Maria Cigarroa was killed when the tractor she was on rolled into a canal, detectives say. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the fatal accident occurred shortly before 9:30 a.m. near U.S. Highway 98 and Hatton Highway. Sheriff's office spokesman Eric Davis said the tractor was too close to the edge of an embankment and rolled into the canal.