Monday, August 09, 2010

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Firefighter Dies Battling Blaze

August 9, CHICAGO, IL - 31 year old Christopher Wheatly was killed this morning after falling three or four stories from a fire escape ladder in the West Loop. Wheatly and other fire crews were fighting a grease fire in a restaurant in the 600 block of West Randolph.


Man Killed in Forklift Accident

August 9, EVANSVILLE, IN - 49 year old John Fugate died today when a forklift apparently overturned. Production at the Bootz Industries Maryland Street plant has been suspended for the day while authorities investigate the early morning accident that killed Fugate, a long-time employee.


Oil Truck Driver Dies From Injuries

August 6, MIDLAND, TX - Nicholas Montoya died as a result of an accident on Friday. Police say the Basic Energy truck blew a tire on the Interstate, near the Midkiff exit. That sent the truck swerving off the road, across the median, into traffic and then the service road, before flipping over in the field.


Driver Killed in Tractor Trailer Accident

August 6, CATAWBA CO., NC - 46 year old Harley James Stanley of Longdale died after an early morning accident on Highway 321. After calling for another truck when his broke down he and the other driver switched trailers, but when they tried to pull away, the cab came apart. Stanley was struck by another tractor trailer while trying to reattach the trailer to his cab. The driver of that truck said he didn't see Stanley because of the fog.


Tow Truck Driver Hit, Killed by Drunk Driver

August 6, HOUSTON, TX - Rogelio Flores was killed Friday by a drunk driver. Flores was headed to tow a car, which was driven by a suspected drunken driver. On the way there, a car cut off Flores causing him to veer off the road and into two utility poles. Police have charged the suspect who caused the accident with intoxication manslaughter.


Police Officer Killed by Suspect

August 6, RAYMOND, MS - 31 year old Glenn Agee, an Officer with the Jackson Police Department, was killed when a suspect under arrest managed to escape. It's believed Officer Agee caught up with the suspect before he entered the woods, and an altercation ensued next to a canal. At that time, police believe Officer Agee's service weapon discharged.


Construction Worker Killed in Montana

August 6, HELENA, MT - 29 year old Jonathan Hudson of Laurel was killed when a belly dump truck backed over him in an Interstate 90 construction zone near Anaconda. The patrol says the worker was standing behind the truck at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday when the driver backed over him, not realizing he was there.


Wreck Between Two Semi's Causes One Death

August 6, PORTAGE, WI - A 32-year-old Eau Claire man was killed after the fiery collision involving two tractor-trailers. One driver apparently slowed down nearing the construction zone and the truck behind couldn't slow down in time.


'Experienced’ skydiving instructor dies in Molalla accident

August 6, MOLALLA, WA - 36 year old Paul Matthew Hardin of Casa Grande, AZ died Friday afternoon when he hit the ground while performing a high-performance maneuver at the Skydive Oregon parachuting facility in Molalla. Hardin, described as a experienced skydiving instructor fell to his death at the facility on Highway 211.


Worker Dies in Propane Mishap

August 6, WAYNESVILLE, NC - 52 year old Richard Davis died Friday after a 500-gallon gas tank rolled on top of him. Davis was preparing to fill a large propane gas tank when, for an unknown reason, the tank broke away from the embankment, toppled down the hill and landed on Davis’ chest.


Construction Worker by Heavy Equipment

August 5, AVON, CO - 58 year old Jack Muransky of Fort Collins was killed Thursday around noon when a large drill pinned him within a construction hole in Avon. Avon Police Chief Bob Ticer said the Muransky was down in a construction hole with a couple of other workers using a very large drill. “For whatever reason, one of the pieces of equipment pushed up against him, causing fatal injuries,” Ticer said.


Driver Killed When Truck Slams Into Semi

August 5, SAN MARCOS, TX - 33 year old Anthony Jerod Kelly, hauling nitrogen and carbon dioxide cylinders was killed Wednesday on Interstate 35 in Hill County when he slammed into a parked 18-wheeler, unleashing toxic gases and shutting down the highway for three hours. Kelly of San Marcos was northbound near Chatt Road when he veered onto the shoulder and careened into the semi.


Volunteer Firefighter Dies of Apparent Heart Attack

August 6, LUFKIN, TX - 59 year old Donald Thornton, Chief of Central Valley Volunteer Fire Department, died of an apparent heart attack Thursday morning. Thornton was working with a friend off state Highway 103 at the time of his death Thursday, according to Assistant Chief Dennis Cochran. Thornton bent down to work on some equipment and then slumped over around 9:30 a.m., Cochran said.


Two Killed When Strong Winds Knock Down Barn

August 5, CROTON, OH - 25 year old Kevin Maddox and 33 year old Joseph Dixon were killed when 70 mph winds knocked over three barns being renovated Wednesday at the state's largest egg farm. It is believed the two workers were employed by Creative Masonry. The two construction workers who were laying concrete blocks at Ohio Fresh Eggs were killed in one of the barns, said Bill Schwaderer, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Three other workers escaped with minor injuries.


Worker Killed at Water Treatment Plant

August 4, BROOKVILLE, PA - 23 year old Cody Fyock, a construction worker for Jack Gibson Construction, has been killed by a wall that fell on him at the North Fork Creek water treatment plant in western Pennsylvania.


Trench Collapse Claims One, Injures One

August 4, OSHKOSH, WI - 26 year old Brandan Kalmerton died when he was caught in a trench collapse while working for Northwest Cable Co. Authorities say the men were working for Northwest Cable Company at the time of the incident. They say the men dug a 10-foot hole and were doing utility work when the trench collapsed.


Worker Found Dead in Truck

August 4, CLARKSVILLE, TN - A man died Wednesday morning while running a fiber optic line in Clarksville, according to police. The 44-year-old was seen slumped over in a lift truck's bucket by a co-worker. His cause of death is still under investigation.


Volunteer Worker for Habitat for Humanity Dies

August 4, LANCASTER, PA - 73 year old Ron Mellinger, who was volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity house in Lancaster County, was killed Wednesday after receiving an electrical shock and falling off the roof. Mellinger was carrying a piece of metal that came in contact with a high voltage line, shocking him, police said. That's when he fell the 2 1/2 stories to the ground below. The Lancaster County coroner said Mellinger died of both the electrocution and multiple traumatic injuries from the fall.


Farm Hand Found Dead

August 4, MERCED, CA - a 38 year old man was found dead after working in irrigation field in Stevinson. According to witnesses, the victim was working irrigation in the fields when he told his boss he was heading back to the shop to call it quits for the day. His boss came back to the shop about 45 minutes later and saw the victim’s quad parked next to the shed instead of it being put away. When he got close, he saw the victim lying flat on his back on the ground in front of the quad, according to the deputies. A cause of death won't be determined until an autopsy can be performed. The identity of the victim is being withheld until next-of-kin can be notified.


Worker Killed When Wall Collapses at School

August 4, EDGERTON, OH - 18 year old Keith J. LaFountain died of injuries from blunt force trauma Wednesday afternoon when high winds blew over a wall recently built as part of the expansion of the high school in this Williams County community, authorities said.


Disgruntled Worker Kills Eight in Workplace Shooting Spree

August 3, MANCHESTER, CT - an employee who was being accused of stealing beer from his employer, Hartford Distributors, Inc went on a shooting rampage that killed 8 fellow employees before shooting himself. Following is a list of the workers killed:
Brian Cirigliano
Victor James
Craig Pepin of South Windsor
Doug Scruton
William Ackerman of South Windsor
Edwin Kennison Jr. of East Hartford
Francis Fazio, Sr., 57 of Bristol and Louis Felder Jr., 50 of Stamford are listed among the dead in this linked article along with more information about each of the men's lives.


Roofer Killed When Ladder Touches 8,000 Volt Line

August 3, MARLBORO, MA - an unidentified worker was killed when he and two other men were placing a metal ladder against a roof at the Fairmount Heights Condominiums at 61 Fairmont St. The ladder touched an electrical line, according to Marlboro police Detective Martha A. Shea. The two co-workers were received electric shock and were treated at a local hospital. The victim, 23, is from the Czech Republic and has no local family, Detective Shea said.


Construction Worker Dies in Trench Collapse

August 3, SPEARFISH, SD - 62 year old Larry Dean Finkbeiner died Wednesday when the trench he was working in collapsed. Finkbeiner was working with another man installing water pipe in the area of a new housing development when he was buried. Finkbeiner died before his work partner could dig him out. It was not immediately clear if the two men were working for a company or had landed the pipeline work on their own.


Tree Trimmer Dies After Fall

August 3, RIVER EDGE, NJ - 48 year old Baltazar Santana of Newark died Tuesday from injuries he suffered after falling 35 feet from a tree he was trimming at the corner of Elm and Wales avenues, authorities said. Police found Santana, who worked for Hardwood Tree Service in Upper Saddle River, lying on the ground and not breathing, Chief Thomas Cariddi said.


Driver Killed After Being Pinned in Dump Truck

August 3, SMYRNA, TN - 32 year old John Speakman died as a result of being pinned under his truck after it overturned Tuesday afternoon in Smyrna. Speakman was driving a dump truck hauling gravel when he ran off the edge of the roadway, and the truck went off a ditch line and overturned. The crash pinned Speakman under the roof of the truck.


Maintenance Worker Fatally Shot at Apartment Complex

August 3, ATLANTA, GA - Ernest Maddox, a maintenance worker at Rachel's Court Apartments was found shot to death after he asked an individual to leave the complex because he was causing a disturbance. Maddox also lived at the apartments and was found shot in front of his apartment after an altercation with his killer.


Death of Construction Worker was Heat Related

August 2, MOSS POINT, MS - 48 year old Melvin Caldwell died during his first day on the job, and heat is to blame. Caldwell died Monday afternoon of hyperthermia.


Forestry Worker Killed in Vehicle Accident

August 2, LITTLE ROCK, AR - 25 year old Chris Adams of Bradley was killed when his Arkansas Forestry tractor trailer left the road and rolled over in Lafayette County on Highway 360. Adams was reportedly returning to the scene of a fire that he had been working on earlier in the day.


Ice Creme Vendor Dies of Gunshot Wound

August 2, FRESNO, CA - 73 year old Juan Luna was shot last month while driving his Ice Creme truck. He came back to work for a time but took a turn for the worse this weekend, passing away Saturday as a result of complications from his wounds.


Store Clerk Shot and Killed

August 1, BEAUMONT, TX - 20 year old Dang Minh Nguyen was shot during a robbery attempt at Van's Grocery Store. Investigators say 3 men robbed the store and shot the clerk in the head during the robbery.


Kansas Farmer Killed When Tractor Flips

August 1, WICHITA, KS - 62 year old Joseph Winter of Colwich was driving his tractor Sunday night on a road near Wichita when the wheels got too close to the edge of the road. KSNW-TV reports the tractor flipped over and landed on Winter, pinning him beneath.


Tree Trimmer Dies After Equipment Strikes Power Line

July 31, LOS ANGELES, CA - A tree trimmer died in West Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon after equipment he was using struck a power line, authorities said. A spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department said the 24-year-old suffered a heart attack after his mechanical axe hit an electrified line about 1:30 p.m.


Deadly Explosion Kills Construction Worker

July 30, NORFOLK, MA - 48 year old William Nichols of Blackstone died after being buried under the rubble of a condominium explosion for an hour and a half Friday. Norfolk Fire Chief Coleman Bushnell says the blast was probably triggered by construction work in the basement that caused a rapid release of propane, which somehow ignited.


Burlington Firefighter Dies of Heart Attack

July 30, BURLINGTON, VT - 46 year old Lt. Steven N. Costello, a 23-year veteran of the Burlington Fire Department, died Friday morning after he went into cardiac ar­rest while on duty a week earlier. Members of Costello’s fire crew found him on the floor at about 6:30 p.m. July 23 at Fire Station 2 on North Avenue and tried to resusci­tate him before taking him to Fletcher Allen Health Care.


Worker Killed in Fall at New Grain Elevator

July 30, ALTUS, OK - 42 year old Frankie Heldstab was killed when he fell while working on a new grain elevator. Jackson County Undersheriff Machelle Dickerson says Heldstab was a contractor working for Minnesota-based Vigen Construction - which is building the elevator for Nebraska-based Gavilon Grain LLC.


Gas Explosion Cause of Worker Death

July 30, EAST LOS ANGELES, CA - A catastrophic gas explosion blew the roof off a South Los Angeles building early Friday, leaving one worker clinging to life and a second man dead by electrocution outside, fire officials said. One victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but responders found the second victim under a nearby vehicle and transported him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. “He was electrocuted trying to move his truck. A 34,500-volt power line fell on the truck, and he didn’t know the vehicle was energized,” officials said. UPDATED news article-a 2nd worker is dead.


Tractor Mishap Claims Life

July 31, WILTON, NH - 58 year old Bruce “Bika” Bakaian died in an accident July 31 doing one of things he liked best. He was out doors in Vermont tending a hayfield. The tractor wheel caught on something and the weight of the hay rake tipped the tractor as he tried to make a sharp turn at the bottom of a hill.


Worker Dies After Falling Down Shaft

July 30, BADEN, PA - 31 year old John "Jack" Hogan III died from injuries he suffered from falling about 30 feet into an underground shaft and not as a result of toxic fumes that flooded the hole where he was working. But questions remained about what happened in the minutes before Mr. Hogan's death, and whether he and three coworkers who were sickened when they rushed into the 30-foot hole to help him. Mr. Hogan, a borough employee for less than two months, had been working in the shaft on the plant's site just before 1 p.m. He was trying to climb out but fell back into the hole, borough officials have said, apparently overcome by toxic fumes, possibly methane gas.


Tractor Trailer Driver Dies Trying to Avoid Accident

July 29, CAMPBELL CO.,TN - Gary Gabehart of Louisville, KY swerved to avoid another car stopped for an accident up head, then struck that car flipping it over. Gabehart's rig then drove off the road, going about a thousand feet down an steep cliff. Gabehart was restrained, but still ejected from his truck and died.


Dock Worker Dies Hours Before Job Was Complete

July 29, EAST GRAND RAPIDS, MI - 49 year old William John Ryan, of Pickford, was likely looking to return to his Upper Peninsula home as he worked on the final touches of a floating boardwalk system in Reeds Lake only hours from completion. Instead he died of unknown causes. East Grand Rapids rescue personnel and ambulance staff tried to revive Ryan, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is pending.


Two Young Workers Die in Grain Bin Incident

July 29, MOUNT CARROLL, IL - 19 year old Alejandro Pacas and 14 year old Wyatt Whitebread died after being trapped inside a grain bin. Rescue workers cut holes in the sides of the bin and drained thousands of pounds of corn to free the trapped workers. The bin was half full and can hold 500,000 bushels of shelled corn, authorities said. A preliminary investigation found none of the three workers was wearing safety harnesses or had life lines, an OSHA spokesman said. It's "a preventable accident and it's just unacceptable."


Construction Worker Dies in Trench Collapse

July 29, LOS ANGELES, CA - an unidentified construction worker has died after being buried under 11 feet of dirt at a Pacific Palisades home. He says 95 firefighters and skilled rescue workers tried to free the victim for three hours. Rescuers bored a horizontal hole through the wall of the basement and inserted a fiber optic wire to observe the space where the man was caught in the cave-in. UPDATE: Authorities have identified the victim as 25 year old Gualfer Lopez-Reyes.


Worker Killed in Tree Removal Incident

July 29, BALTIMORE, MD - an employee of the Busy Beaver Tree Co. died when a section of the tree he was cutting fell into another tree which then fell onto the worker, killing him. The worker's name has not been released.


Farmer Killed in Tractor Accident

July 29, EDEN, NJ - 88 year old Ralph Hughes died after a tractor rolled backwards over him Thursday evening. Hughes was standing at the rear of a Massey Ferguson tractor while working on the three-point hitch at 12926 Pleasant Valley Road on Thursday. The tractor, which was not running, rolled backward and injured Hughes.


West Virginia Loses Another Coal Miner

July 29, BELINGTON, WV - 39 year old Jessie Adkins was fatally injured around noon while on the job in Marion County. The miner operator, working as a bolter, had seven years of mining experience, three of which were gained at Loveridge Mine. He was injured when coal and other materials from a section of the side of the mine entry, called the mine rib, collapsed and pinned him against a nearby continuous mining machine. He is survived by a wife, Melissa, and two teenage children.


Police Investigate Fatal Farm Equipment Incident

July 29, URBANA, MD - 61 year old Edward Diesel was killed in a farm equipment accident Friday. Police in their preliminary investigation found that Diesel, of Cider Hill Road was mowing a field with a small tractor and rear-mounted mower when the tractor stalled. Diesel tried to start the tractor by rolling it downhill, but was thrown from the tractor and run over by its rear tire, police said.


Man Gunned Down During Robbery

July 29, FLUSHING, NY - 49 year old Nadeem Khan living with family in Long Island was shot and killed Sunday morning while working the night shift at a Flushing gas station that an assemblywoman said had been plagued by an increase in criminal activity. Surveillance tape captured two men robbing the store and shooting the station attendant. Police said the immigrant was shot several times in the stomach during a burglary of the gas station’s convenience shop.


AZ Undercover Police Officer Shot, Killed

July 28, CHANDLER, AZ - 34 year old Carlos Ledesma was killed in a Phoenix shootout with drug dealers. Wednesday's operation involved undercover officers trying to buy bales of marijuana, and they were apparently not wearing their vests when the worst took place, flying bullets felling cops, according to reports.


Driver Dies When Semi Crashes

July 28, FORGAN, OK - 50 year old Edwin Dale Searcy died after his tractor-trailer rolled Wednesday morning while trying to turn off State Highway 64 east of Forgan. Searcy was late in attempting the turn and rolled the rig, with the tractor rolling one time and coming to rest on its wheels, as the trailer tank rolled three-quarters ending up on its passenger side. Seat belts were not in use, according to the report.


DMV Worker Dies During Training

July 27, EDNEYVILLE, NC - 38 year old Timothy Charles Barnes of Rocky Mount died Wednesday after collapsing following physical training at the N.C. Justice Academy in Edneyville. Barnes collapsed Tuesday following physical training for the NCDMV License and Theft Bureau’s inspector program.


Driver Dies in Single Vehicle Accident

July 26, GREER, AZ - The driver of an Arizona Public Service (APS) truck died following a one vehicle accident around 5 p.m. Monday afternoon 1/2 mile west of the Greer turn-off on State Route 260. The male driver was the only occupant.


Truck Driver Dead After Legs Crushed by Falling Pipe

July 23, DUPO, MO - A woman is dead after her legs were crushed by a steel pipe on Friday. Witnesses say the victim was an independent truck driver. Her semi was loaded with 24-inch steel pipes, ready for transport. A witness said that as crews were securing the heavy load, one of those large pipes rolled off the top of the truck falling and crushing the driver standing below.


Worker Dies From Head Injury

July 23, YORK, PA - 23 year old Robert Enfield of Hellam died Saturday from injuries he suffered at the Americold plant in York County. Investigators say a one-ton dock weight fell on Enfield's head. The coroner says he died from blunt force trauma to the head.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Craig Pepin is a hero. More than that, a saint. Sainthood now!

Anonymous said...

Craig Pepin was born on February 24, 1950. Believe it or not, the saint Pepin of Landen came on the very same week! Pepin is of Frankish origin while Craig Pepin is of French-Canadian origin!

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