Monday, September 06, 2010

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Robbers Kill Store Security Guard

September 5, CUMMING, GA - An Ingles Grocery Store security guard was shot and killed during a robbery of the store. The guard was one of three employees in the Canton Road grocery store at the time of the robbery. The other two, a man and woman, were not hurt. They were tied up with duct tape and left in the cooler, too.


Staunton Man Dies in Combine Accident

September 5, STAUNTON, IL - 50 year old Herbert F. Braundmeier died after being hit by a combine Sunday on a farm near Alhambra. Braundmeier was cutting corn in a field with a farmer, who was unloading corn from a combine into a grain truck. The farmer moved the combine into reverse to shift the load in the truck. The farmer did not know and could not see that Braundmeier had walked behind the combine to make an adjustment on the combine. When the combine backed up, a rear tire on the combine hit Braundmeier and he suffered a fatal head injury.


Tractor Trailer Driver Dies in Crash

September 4, SALINA, KS - 58 year old Henry Richardson of Little Rock, AR died when his semi left the road for unknown reasons according to a Kansas Highway Patrol report. The semi struck a guard rail before entering the ditch, the report said. Richardson was not wearing a seat belt, according to the report.


Man Dies After Farm Tractor Tips Over

September 4, VIGO, IN - 45 year old Shawn Biddle died when his farm tractor overturned and caught fire Thursday along Dallas Drive south of the city in Riley Township. Biddle was found trapped under the John Deere tractor in a ditch after the vehicle slid down a hill and overturned. The tractor caught fire a short time after overturning.


Train Accident Kills One at McDuffie Coal Terminal

September 4, MOBILE, AL - An investigation is under way after a Terminal Railroad employee was struck and killed by a train today at the McDuffie Coal Terminal. At the time of the accident, the man, in his 20's, was a ground person on a train crew. He had been in contact with a Terminal Railroad engineer in a locomotive that was moving train cars. When the engineer lost contact with the man, the train was stopped, port authority CEO Jimmy Lyons said. UPDATE: Authorities have identified the man killed as 27 year old Joshua Alan Roper.


UPS Cargo Plane Crashes, Kills Pilot and First Officer

September 3, DUBAI, UAE - 48 year old Pilot Doug Lampe of Louisville, KY and 38 year old First Officer Matthew Bell of Sanford, FL lost their lives in the crash of Flight 6 on Sept. 3, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The two were pilots for United Parcel Service. The Civil Aviation Authority of United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued a preliminary report on Saturday, indicating that the UPS cargo plane informed the tower that it was having radio problems, and the crew had detected smoke in the cockpit shortly after takeoff. The pilot and first officer were attempting to maintain altitude and return to Dubai's main airport when the plane went down.


Bread Deliveryman is Shot Dead

September 3, ELMHURST QUEENS, NY - 39 year old Jorge Martinez, who was driving his bread delivery route through Brooklyn on Friday night, was killed after bullets apparently fired by someone on a building’s rooftop pierced the ceiling of his work van and struck him in the head, the police said. It was not immediately clear if Mr. Martinez was the intended target or if the bullets were stray shots meant for someone, or something, else.


Electrical Worker Found Dead at Job

September 3, TWIN CITIES, MN - Robert J. Germundson of Coon Rapids didn't come home from work Friday night. His family reported him missing. Police found his body Saturday morning in the ceiling area of concourse E at the Lindbergh Terminal of the Twin Cities International Airport. He was doing electrical work in that area of the airport. The space above the ceiling, the location of the man found, is full of pipes, utilities and wiring. Germundson had been an employee with Premiere Electrical since 1985. UPDATE: Authorities have determined that heart failure is the cause of death for Mr. Germundson.


Oregon Logger Dies on the Job

September 3, CATHLAMET, OR - 51 year old Jerrold Samuel Florek was killed on the job Friday while logging across the river in Clatsop County. Florek was working in the Matoaka logging area Friday when he was struck by a falling log, according to the Clatsop County Sheriff's office.


Road Construction Worker Hit and Killed

September 3, YUMA, AZ - 29 year old Anthony Mosher of Queen's Creek was killed Thursday at a construction site near Dateland after being run over by a road-grading machine. Upon their arrival, deputies discovered a worker had sustained fatal injuries after having been struck by a Caterpillar road grader. The victim was conducting survey-related work in preparation for the construction of a solar power plant.


Cafeteria Cashier Dies in Robbery

September 3, KNOXVILLE, TN - 60 year old Daniel Charles Giles died after he was shot during a robbery at the S&S Cafeteria. Giles was shot once during a 7:48 p.m. Thursday robbery at the popular cafeteria at 4808 Kingston Pike. One of the customers told police that he saw the cashier and the robber in a "tug of war" over the cash register immediately before the shot was fired. Employees rushed to Giles' aid before paramedics arrived, but he was unconscious and unresponsive. Giles moved from Ohio just 3 months ago to start a new life.


Truck Crushes Longtime Business Owner

September 2, NEW PORT RICHIE, FL - 68 year old John David Parker, owner of J.D.Parker & Sons, who spent a lifetime in the tough garbage collection business, had been planning his retirement. This year, he figured. But while working just before midnight Thursday at the company compound he was underneath a 2001 International garbage truck, performing maintenance. For some reason, police said later, it rolled forward and crushed Parker. He died on the floor of the garage.


CT State Trooper Hit and Killed During Traffic Stop

September 2, ENFIELD, CT - State Trooper Kenneth Hall was killed Thursday afternoon when a pickup truck crashed into his parked cruiser on the right shoulder of Interstate 91, state police said. Trooper Hall had stopped a commercial truck. He was sitting in his cruiser to write a ticket when a pickup truck ran off the right side of the road and hit the cruiser.


Tractor Trailer Driver Dies in Crash

September 2, DENHAM SPRINGS, LA - A man died Thursday night after the tractor trailer he was driving on Interstate 12 near the 4-H Club Road overpass ran off the road and into a concrete culvert, a Denham Springs Police spokesman said. Witnesses told authorities the tractor trailer left the road and went into the culvert for no apparent reason.


Drugstore Employee Killed During Store Robbery

September 2, NORTH HIGHLANDS, CA - 27 year old Tania Guskaya was shot during a robbery at a Rexall Pharmacy in North Highlands Thursday afternoon,authorities say. The victims were behind the pharmacy counter when two individuals came in, one of them armed, and demanded drugs, said Sgt. Tim Curran with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. Guskaya's cousin George Shalnev said she was a devoted singer and piano player in her local church.


Man Crushed When Farm Equipment Falls on Him

September 2, BALLSTON SPA, NY - 71 year old David A. Lipscomb Sr. was killed when jacks holding up a trailer he was working under, which was missing a wheel, collapsed, causing the trailer to fall on his chest. The tow-behind trailer had three drums of asphalt on it and various smaller pieces of equipment. Lipscomb was transported to Saratoga Hospital by Community Emergency Corp. where he was pronounced dead.


Semi Driver Killed When Disabled Truck is Hit by Another

September 2, PALMER TWP, PA - 52 year old Mario Chacon was killed in a fiery collision between two tractor-trailers and a car Thursday morning. From the accident scene, it appeared as if one truck, possibly Chacon's, may have been stopped on the shoulder of the road when a second truck drove into the back of his trailer dislodging the rear axle of the trailer and sending the cab down an embankment. A set of axles was on the shoulder of the road just west of the two trailers and car. The car burned up in flames while under the rear of one of the truck trailers.


Factory Worker Trapped in Machinery Dies

September 1, ROCHELLE, IL - 25 year old Mackenzie Downing became trapped and was killed inside a piece of machinery at Transworld Plastic Films Inc. plant in Rochelle. Downing was freed from the machinery by emergency crews and some employees and was rushed to Rochelle Community Hospital where he died.


Maintenance Worker Killed in Accident With School Bus

September 1, VANCOUVER, WA - 51 year old Almaz Kucukovic, a maintenance worker, was killed by a school bus when it rolled over him at a bus barn in Battle Ground. Kucukovic was working on the bus when it started to roll. He was trying to climb aboard when he fell under the wheels. The Columbian reports he died immediately from head and internal injuries.


Local Electrician Killed on the Job

September 1, NASHVILLE, TN - 36 year old David Tittle was killed on the job Wednesday when he was shocked to death while working on a 110-volt electrical junction box at a Mooreland Drive home, according to a sheriff’s office report. Tittle was found unconscious and unresponsive. Another worker at the home told investigators he went up into the attic and attempted to turn Tittle over, but was also shocked by the electrical current upon touching him.


Deputy Trainee Dies After Completing a Run

September 1, DES MOINES, IA - 46 year old Cass Nemmers died Wednesday after a training run at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in Johnston, a spokeswoman said. Nemmers had just completed a 1½ mile run as part of a pre-academy physical to become a deputy, Rooker said. He was "having trouble standing, and having trouble breathing" before he collapsed. Nemmers worked the security desks at the Polk County Courthouse's entrances. He transferred to the job after a stint working in the old downtown jail, and was training to become a deputy.


Boyd Law Construction Worker Dies

September 1, IOWA CITY, IA - 49 year old Tom Fosdick of Cedar Rapids died after being injured Monday morning while working for Swanson Glass, a sub-contractor renovating the exterior of the Boyd building, according to a statement released by UI. Kevin Swanson, a representative for Swanson Glass, acknowledged early Wednesday that Fosdick was involved in a "serious" accident, but declined to elaborate. UPDATE: It is now being reported that Mr. Fosdick died from injuries sustained in a fall.


Robbery the Motive for Deliveryman's Death

September 1, HYDE PARK, MA - Robbery was the likely motive in the murder of a Domino’s Pizza delivery man who was stabbed to death on the job early this morning, said Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis. The victim, a man in his 50s, was lured to a vacant home at 742 Hyde Park Avenue to deliver a pizza when he was killed some time after midnight, Davis said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. UPDATE: Authorities have identified the victim as 58 year old Richel Nova and three suspects in his murder have been arrested.


Alabama Farmer Dies After Tractor Overturns

September 1, DEKALB CO., AL - 81 year old Bobby Standridge, of the New Harmony community near Geraldine, died after becoming pinned underneath his tractor. Family members found Standridge's tractor overturned in a pond in the pasture behind the home. The family contacted emergency personnel and a next-door neighbor, who found Standridge's body in the water. Sheriff's deputies say Standridge was working near a pond on a tractor with a front-end loader when the tractor rolled over on top of Mr. Standridge. He became trapped when the tractor continued rolling into the pond.


Employee Found Dead at American Apparel

September 1, LOS ANGELES, CA - 44 year old Danarichie Lyndon Sindo, a data analyst, was found dead after he reported feeling sick. Details are still scarce, but LAPD spokesman Lt. Andrew Neiman confirmed to Gawker that Sindo reported feeling sick and vomiting before leaving to "get some air" on the roof. He "then went back inside and eventually went either into the bathroom or locker room and later was discovered deceased." According to a source, the body was discovered around 5 p.m. in one of the building's fifth-floor restrooms.


Worker Electrocuted While Inspecting Circuit

September 1, ORD, NE - Dean "Vegas" Lodewyck died after being electrocuted on the job Tuesday morning in Burwell. The Garfield County Attorney said Lodewyck died from injuries after coming into contact with a live electrical wire at the Loup Valley Alfalfa Plant. Lodewyck worked for Ricks Electric in Ord. Witnesses said he was troubleshooting a suspected faulty circuit at the time when he was electrocuted.


Worker Found Dead at Rice Storage Facility

September 1, STUTTGART, AR - 41 year old Monique Harper was found buried in a rice storage facility on Tuesday. The Stuttgart Fire Department received the call about 5:30 a.m. According to a police report Harper's co-workers became concerned about her whereabouts when they were unable to contact her by radio. That's when employees began searching for Harper.


Railroad Employee Killed on Northstar Rail Line

September 1, FRIDLEY, MN - 54 year old Andrew Kim Weaver was killed after being struck by a Northstar Commuter Rail train headed into the Twin Cities Wednesday morning. According to the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, Weaver was doing some testing on the rails at a double train track crossing at Egret Boulevard at the time. He was a BNSF Railroad employee. The sheriff's office said Weaver was near a couple of parked rail cars. He was talking to someone on a cell phone and had a stack of papers in his hands when he walked into the path of the oncoming Northstar train.


Landlord Killed in Possible Murder Suicide

August 31, TYLER, TX - Responding to a call of shots fired at a multi-apartment residence police discovered the body of 70 year old Socorro Nunez in one unit. They also found her tenant in another unit, wounded in what police are investigating as a murder and then an attempted suicide. Police are investigating what led to the shootings and whether financial problems were involved.


Miner Killed in Vehicle Accident

August 31, KNOX COUNTY, IN - 25 year old Brian W. Mason of Linton was killed Tuesday in a truck accident. Indiana State Police say Mason was operating an articulating dump truck at the Triad Mine in Freelandville when for unknown reasons, the truck drove off the roadway into a deep ravine. After being extricated from the vehicle, Mason was airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis where he later died.


Truck Driver Hits Bison, Dies in Crash

August 31, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, CO - 74 year old Maynard Bontrager of South Hutchingson, KS died Tuesday morning after slamming into a bison on U.S. Highway 36, about 10 miles east of Byers. The 18-wheeler went off the road and flipped, crushing the cab. He was hauling salt, but it's not clear where the big rig was coming from or where it was headed.


Flight Crew for Medical Helicopter Dies in Crash

August 31, LITTLE ROCK, AR - Kenneth Robertson, Pilot, Kenneth Meyer, Jr., Flight Nurse and Gayla Gregory, Flight Paramedic, have all died when their medical helicopter crashed yesterday in the hills of Central Arkansas. The Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter went down near the Scotland community in Van Buren County at around 4 a.m., according to the company and the Federal Aviation Administration. They were trying to reach a person injured in a traffic accident.


Three Killed When Helicopter Crashes

August 31, BOISE, ID - 47 year old Larry Barrett and 34 year old Danielle Schiff, both Idaho Fish and Game Biologists, along with pilot, 43 year old Perry J. Krinitt of Belgrade, MT, were killed when suspected mechanical problems caused the helicopter they were in to crash in the small town of Kamiah, ID. The Department of Fish and Game had chartered the aircraft from Clarkston, Wash.-based Leading Edge Aviation to count salmon spawning nests on the Selway River.


Chain Reaction With Tractor Trailer Causes Farmer's Death

August 31, MABEN, MS - 41 year old Sammie Jones of Maben was killed in a highway accident. A patrol spokesperson says a tractor was traveling in the right lane and was being followed by a pickup. According to the MHP, an 18-wheeler hit the back of the pickup, knocking it into the tractor, killing the driver of the tractor. Maben was the driver of the tractor.


Farmer Killed in Tractor Mishap

August 31, SCOTT CO, MO - 77 year old Bobby Wolf of Chaffee died Tuesday in a farm tractor accident. Scott County Coroner Scott Amick says Wolf was on an incline when his tractor hit a stump. Amick says that caused the tractor to pop-up and roll over. Wolf was pinned underneath the tractor and died.


Man Killed In Crane Accident

August 31, OKLAHOMA, OK - Michael Parsons was killed Tuesday on the Chesapeake Energy Campus in an accident involving a crane. Police said it appeared the accident happened as the crane was being shut down for the night when something fell off of a crane at the construction site.


Tractor Trailer Driver Killed in Crash

August 31, CAROLINE CO, VA - A driver of a tractor trailer was killed in a fiery crash on I-95 South in Caroline County. The tractor trailer was traveling southbound on I-95 when its front left tire blew, causing it to run off the right side of the roadway. The tractor trailer struck approximately 650 feet of guardrail and struck several trees before overturning onto its right side and catching on fire.


Man Dies When Tractor Rolls Down Embankment

August 31, MARIETTA, WI - 66 year old Jeffrey C. Glasbrenner of Boscobel died Monday afternoon in a tractor accident on Meadowbrook Road in Marietta Township. Glasbrenner was operating a tractor on private property and was on a logging road. According to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department, the tractor slipped off the edge, went down a steep embankment, rolled and pinned Glasbrenner underneath. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Crawford County Coroner Joe Morovits.


Man Crushed When Forklift Failed

August 31, PATERSON, NJ - an unidentified worker was killed when he was crushed under a car. The employee died and another was seriously injured when a forklift collapsed as the men were working on an auto at Beji Dismantling. Police said "the forklift gave way".


Pilot/Mechanic Killed in Plane Crash

August 30, BOZEMAN, MT - 34 year old Jarrod Dearden, of Ogden, UT, died when his plane went down in Gallatin County, MT. Dearden was a pilot and mechanic who borrowed his employers plane to fly to Bozeman to work on another pilot's plane. An investigation continues into the accident.


Man Killed Cutting Lawn at County Park

August 30 - NEW CASTLE, DE - 68 year old James Hagerty of the Sherwood Park community in Milltown was killed this afternoon when the mower he was riding on toppled down an embankment into a creek bed, pinning him underneath it, officials said. According to police, Hagerty was preparing to cut the grass on a hill near a pond when for an unknown reason his lawn tractor slid back down the hill. The tractor then went over an embankment and overturned, trapping Hagerty under the equipment, Weglarz said.


Truck Driver Dies in Collision With Train

August 30, REMSEN, IA - 37 year old Richard Martin died when his dump truck collided with a train. Investigators say Martin was driving a dump truck, which was owned by Walker Excavating of Le Mars. Authorities say Martin failed to yield to an oncoming train. The locomotive hit the dump truck on the driver's side. Martin was then ejected.


Truck Rollover Leaves One Dead

August 30, MATTAWAMKEAG, ME - 50 year old Donald Pepin was killed when the chip truck he was driving rolled over and hit a guardrail just after 11:00 a.m. State Police say witnesses reported seeing Pepin pass two-vehicles before he returned to the travel lane and lost control of the truck. Authorities are not sure what caused the accident.


Man Killed in Industrial Accident

August 30, INTERNATIONAL FALLS, MN - 51 year old Nikolas Charles Kochaniuk died Monday of what appears to be an industrial accident at Boise Paper in International Falls. “They were doing some special maintenance work on a brick wall in a building where a kiln is located,” Boise Paper spokesman Bob Anderson said this morning.


Farm Worker Dies When Pinned Beneath Mower

August 30, CLEVELAND, OH - 53 year old Genovevo "Johnny" Garcia died Monday after being pinned underwater by a riding lawnmower for 26 minutes. William “Bill” Russell, who owns the farm on Phifer Road, said Garcia had been mowing the grass along the edge of a pond on the property when the mower tipped over and rolled into the water on top of Garcia. Russell said Garcia had worked for him a few hours every morning for the past three years and that he lived with one of his friends down the road. “He was a real hard worker. He was honest,” Russell said. “When we’d go out of town, he’d watch over.”


Semi Driver Dies in Crash

August 30, MADISONVILLE, TX - Andres Hinojosa died Monday when the tractor trailer he was driving overturned. Hinojosa was eastbound in a 2007 Peterbilt tractor-trailer rig, hauling a load of gravel, when he veered to the right, over-corrected and then went into a broadside skid, causing gravel in the rig to spill on the roadway, according to DPS reports. The tractor-trailer rig then slid off the roadway, stopping on its side. Investigators speculated he swerved to avoid a cow in the roadway.


Worker Dies From 6 Story Fall

August 30, MCKEESPORT, PA - 29 year old Robert Barncord died after falling from the roof of an apartment building. Barncord was working on the roof of the six-story apartment building on Royal Oak Drive about 2 p.m. when the incident occurred, the spokesman said. Investigators are trying to determine whether a worker jumped or fell to his death.


County Employee Killed Cutting Trees

August 30, WOOD COUNTY, TX - 31 year old Matthew Don Crowell was killed while cutting a tree from the county road right of way. Crowell, who worked for Wood County Road and Bridge Precinct #2, became trapped between two very large limbs. The preliminary cause of death has been ruled blunt force trauma pending the results of the Autopsy.


Man Killed Working to Clear Farm Field

August 30, CLAREMONT, NH - 54 year old David LaValley, of Claremont, was using a chain hooked to a Jeep to pry loose an antique horse-drawn sickle from some trees that had grown up around it in what once was a farm pasture died Monday after the old equipment suddenly broke free and struck him in the head. LaValley died at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., shortly after he was airlifted there, Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. John Hagen reported Tuesday.


Police Officers Gunned Down in Alaska

August 28, HOONAH, AK - 32 year old Anthony "Tony" Wallace was on a ride along with his mother, her first trip to visit him in Alaska, when he was shot by a lone gunman. Wallace's partner, 39 year old Matthew Tokuoka was off duty at the time but was talking with Wallace when, while trying to protect Wallace after he was shot, was also shot by the same gunman. Tokuoka was in his vehicle, with his family, when the shootings occurred. The suspect, who had been arrested by the officers the previous year, was finally arrested. It is worth noting that Wallace was legally deaf, yet still a good officer.


Trucker Killed in Highway Crash

August 27, SAN LEANDRO, CA - 65 year old Manuel Suarez Palma was killed in a solo crash on Highway 101 near San Benito County on Friday. The driver was northbound in a 2005 International Tractor at an unknown speed when he made an unsafe movement to the right, with the vehicle to turning off the east edge of the road and coming in contact with the guard rail, according to a statement from the CHP.


Worker Crushed at Recycling Facility

August 27, SALISBURY, NC - 40 year old Maurice Jay Alexander died Friday at Presbyterian Hospital, the day after an 800-pound bale of cardboard fell off a forklift and crushed him. Police said Alexander was moving the cardboard bale on a forklift and stepped off to adjust something. As he stood in front of the forklift, the bale fell off the forks and onto him, pinning him against the forklift and crushing him. Medical responders found Alexander unresponsive. They revived him with CPR, but he died the next day in the intensive care unit at Presbyterian.


Driver Dies in Truck Rollover

August 27, RAEVILLE, NE - 46 year old Gerald Lesko of Brohead, WI was killed in a roll-over accident last Friday, Aug. 27, on 110th Street east of Raeville, NE. Lesko had delivered equipment to the Laredo Ridge Wind Farm and was driving a 1988 Peterbilt tractor-trailer westbound on 110th Street when he apparently lost control. The vehicle flipped into the south ditch. Lesko was apparently not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, the Sheriff’s Department reported.


Man Dies in Oil Battery Explosion

August 24, WILSON, KS - 48 year old Randy "Rudy" Wayne Ehrlich of Russell died Fwhen the oil tank battery he was working on exploded east of Wilson. Ellsworth County Sheriff Tracy L. Ploutz says the crew was cleaning the tank battery, which had been struck by lightning and caught fire earlier Friday. Ploutz says the men were using cutting torches, but the specific cause of the explosion may never be known. The Hays Daily News reports that two other employees of Western Sales were uninjured but Ehrlich's body was found near the rubble of the exploded tank.


Tower Accident Causes Death

August 19, FARMERSVILLE, TX - 30 year old Oscar Maza-Garcia of New Mexico has died after falling 160 feet from a Caddo Basin Special Utility District water tower. The accident occurred about 7:30 a.m. Aug. 13, according to Farmersville Fire Chief Kim Morris. Garcia was painting the tower and was attached via a rope, according to Farmersville Police Department reports. He fell from the tower, hitting the concrete below. Though he did not work for the Caddo Basin Special Utility District, he was part of a group that had been subcontracted out to paint the tower.

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