Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Tanker Truck Explosion Kills Worker

December 9, FORD CITY, PA - 26 year old Gregory Bish, a West Penn Energy employee, was killed as he and a co-worker attempted to unfreeze a pipe fitting at the rear of the water truck. Using a propane torch, they both were applying heat to the pipe fitting when the explosion occurred. Bish was struck with a rear inspection plate of the tank as it tore away from the tank, according to the coroner's report.


Chemical Plant Explosion Kills Two Brothers

December 9, NEW CUMBERLAND, WV - 39 year old Jeffery Scott Fish and 38 year old James E. Fish, brothers,were killed in an explosion and fire at a chemical plant owned by AL Solutions. The explosion and fire started in a single-story production building where titanium powder is used to make an alloying agent used in the aluminium industry, said Ken Kline, chief financial officer of AL Solutions.


Tractor Trailer Driver Dies in Crash

December 9, MADISON, TX - 60 year old Gary Steven Thomas of Houston died after crashing his 18-wheeler. According to state troopers he was was driving northbound on Interstate 45 when his truck entered the grassy center median, struck a cable barrier, and rolled onto its side.


Deputy Shot and Killed During Traffic Stop

December 8, ORANGE COUNTY, FL - Brandon Coates, a Deputy for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Wednesday night. Authorities said they've learned the traffic stop resulted in some type of struggle that led to Coates deploying his Taser gun. "At some point, the deputy was shot in the head twice and succumbed to his injuries after being transported to Orlando Regional (Medical Center), where the trauma team worked on him diligently for quite some time," Sheriff Demings said.


Grain Silo Collapse Kills One

December 8, NASHVILLE, AR - 48 year oldJohnny Needham was killed when a grain silo collapsed at Tyson Foods' feed mill in Nashville. A spokesman for Tyson says the silo collapsed about 2:30 a.m. Thursday. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.


EMS Worker Killed In Crash of Ambulance

December 8, HENRYVILLE, IN - 50 year old David J. Gundle of Memphis was killed when the ambulance he was riding in went off the road and crashed into a tree. “It appeared from the preliminary investigation the ambulance was heading eastbound on 160 and left the southside of the roadway and struck quite a large tree almost head on,” Adams said.


Man Killed in Accident on Farm

December 8, MARION, PA - 26 year old Joseph Weil was killed in a farming accident. Weil was operating a White 2-155 diesel tractor on his farm and became pinned underneath around 4 p.m., according to township police officer Paul Smith.


Firefighter Dies After Training Exercises

December 7, VAN WYCK, SC - 64 year old Dillon C. Denton, a Lieutenant for Lancaster County Fire Service, died Tuesday after participating in fire training activities Monday. Denton complained of not feeling well after the activities and was transported to an area hospital after getting worse. Denton died Tuesday after being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, said Stephen Blackwelder, Lancaster County Fire Marshal.


Pipeline Worker Crushed by Pipe

December 7, ELKO, NV - 61 year old Charles Kuhn of Dresden, OH was killed while working on a section of the Ruby Pipeline natural gas pipeline being installed in Elko, NV. A sheriff's sergeant says Kuhn was working on a section of pipe next to the trench when it started to roll. He was knocked into the trench and the pipe fell on top of him. Houston-based El Paso Corp. is building the 680-mile pipeline but Kuhn was employed by contractor Precision Pipeline LLC of Eau Claire, Wis.


Man Dies After Being Caught in Auger

December 6, PLYMOUTH, WI - 55 year old Larry Wadel has died in an industrial accident. A Deputy Coroner says Wadel was cleaning the auger at the rear of a dump truck-snowplow when a piece of his clothing apparently became entangled in the auger and partially pulled him in. He was pronounced dead at the scene.


Postal Carrier Shot and Killed While on Route

December 5, MIAMI-DADE, FL - 60 year old Bruce Parton of Pembroke Pines was shot and killed on his delivery route earlier in a north Miami-Dade apartment complex. The gunman took off in the letter carrier's mail truck, but abandoned it a short distance away on the street before fleeing on foot. Authorities are not sure robbery was the motive and have offered a $25,000 reward for the gunman's capture.


Metro Track Repairman Hit and Killed by Equipment

December 5, WASHINGTON, DC - 63 year old Michael Nash of Silver Spring, MD, a Metro track repairman, was killed in an accident on the Orange Line Sunday night. Nash, a spotter, was working as part of a crew replacing cross ties near the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station when he was struck by a ballast regulator, a large piece of equipment that spreads gravel onto the track bed. Metro GM Catoe said the agency had not identified any equipment failure, and that "there is no indication here that the operator did not perform their job correctly.


Truck Driver Crushed While Changing Tire

December 5, LAS VEGAS, NV - 63 year old Jose Ayala-Sarabia of Las Vegas was killed on Sunday after being crushed by a tractor-trailer that fell and trapped him while he was attempting to change a tire, according to Las Vegas Metro police. Fire and rescue crews freed Ayala-Sarabia and rushed him to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.


Construction Worker Falls to Death Off Bridge

December 5, SEDGWICK, ME - 29 year old Erico Gasques of New Jersey, an employee for a Pennsylvania contractor, died after falling from a bridge on Route 15 in Sedgwick Sunday afternoon. Gasques suffered massive head trauma from the fall and died from his head injuries while enroute to the hospital.


Miner Dies When Coal Truck Overturns

December 4, SCARBRO, WV - an unidentified miner was killed Saturday when the coal-hauling truck he was driving overturned at a Massey Energy Co. mine site in West Virginia. An MSHA spokesman said the crash may have caused by faulty brakes and icy roads. UPDATE: Authorities have identified Charles Qualls as the driver who was killed in the accident.


Pipeline Worker Killed

December 4, LARAMIE, WY - 62 year old Elvin Loggins of Bronson, TX, a welder, was killed while helping to build a natural gas pipeline. He was apparently crushed by a large section of pipe. The pipeline is being built for Snelson Companies, Inc.


Co-Driver of Semi Truck Dies in Crash

December 4, HUNTINGTON, OR - 45 year old Christina Maria Cooks, of Monahans, TX, died Saturday when a Wild West Express truck loaded with 40,000 lbs of frozen food crashed on an icy stretch of I-84 in OR. State police believe Cook, the truck's co-driver, was in the sleeper berth at the time of the crash. The driver lost control on a icy curve which caused the truck to crash through a guard rail and roll down a hill coming to rest just above the banks of the Burnt River, a tributary of the Snake River.


Head-On Crash Claims Life of Truck Driver

December 3, CLIFTON FORGE, VA - 44 year old Ashley Cleon Weikle, a driver for Team Carriers and also a volunteer firefighter in Clifton Forge, was killed in a tractor trailer accident on Interstate 64 Friday. The driver of the other semi went into the median and crossed into the path of Weikle's truck.


Deputy Shot and Killed Responding to Call

December 3, RIPLEY, MS - 62 year old Dewayne Crenshaw, a Tippah County Sheriff's Deputy, was shot and killed when he and his partner were responding to a disturbance call. Crenshaw encountered a suspect and a struggle ensued in which Crenshaw was shot. The suspect was arrested and charged with capital murder.


Worker Killed by Co-Worker After Argument

December 3, COLUMBUS, OH - 20 year old Donald Damron was fatally shot during a shift change by a co-worker in the parking lot of a warehouse where he worked. Witness statements indicate that the two men — both temporary, seasonal employees of the warehouse, which is operated by Exel Logistics — were arguing over a girl, Portier said. The suspect was apprehended and charged with murder.


Worker Crushed in Incident at Manufacturing Plant

December 3, TOWANDA, PA - 63 year old Ray E. Keeney, Jr of Nichols was killed in an industrial accident early Friday morning at the heavy truck entrance to the Craftmaster Manufacturing Inc. factory on Leisure Drive in Wysox. Police said Keeney was standing beside his tractor trailer loaded with trees and was probably adjusting load straps as another tractor-trailer, which was leaving the factory, stopped after exiting an area with weigh scales. Keeney fell backward and landed under the rear axle of the other truck as it started to move again, police said.


Worker Crushed Removing Telephone Pole

December 3, CHICAGO, IL - 56 year old Mervin Yoder of Kaneville, was killed early Friday morning when a telephone pole fell on him in Chicago. According to the Chicago Police News Service, Yoder was a tree-removal contractor who had been hired to remove telephone poles near a railroad embankment in the 4100 block of South Cicero Avenue. At about 3:23 a.m., the pole fell on Yoder.


Sheriff Department Chief Found Dead

December 3, ROCK ISLAND, OK - 40 year old Randy Colwell, Chief for Leflore County Sheriff's Department, was found in his town hall office Friday afternoon. LeFlore County Undersheriff Donnie Edwards said that at about 3 p.m., another officer found Colwell unresponsive in a chair. Investigators from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation were at the scene because Colwell died while on duty. Officials told 40/29 News they don't suspect foul play in Colwell's death.


Fall From Scaffolding Claims Life of Young Father

December 2, PLYMOUTH, MA - 24 year old Bryan Prairie, a window washer who fell from scaffolding three stories to his death at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park had taken the job this summer while looking for work as a nurse, his father said Friday. Prairie was working for Consider It Done Cleaning to support his wife and 5-month-old son. The young man, who graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., had just passed his nursing boards in July after earning degrees in biology and nursing.


Worker Dies in Industrial Accident

December 2, ROSEBORO, NC - 36 year old Terry Robinson died Thursday after an accident involving a forklift at the Food Lion Distribution Center in Harnett County. An investigation continues. No other information is available.


Fiery Crash Kills Truck Driver

December 2, TACOMA, WA - 71 year old Bob Wiesen of Ferndale died when it appears he backed his semi into another truck and it exploded into flames. The first crews on scene found a tractor trailer engulfed in flames. Firefighters put the fire out, and when they were investigating they found what appeared to be a body in the cab of the truck. Friends of Wiesen say he is the driver who died in the flames. "From what I understand, it was pretty foggy this morning and for semi-trucks, back there it is a pretty tight area. So there is a lot of things that could have been involved that could have led up to the accident," said Andrew Hankins, Tacoma Police Department.


Man Dies in Farm Tractor Accident

December 1, WAYNOKA, OK - 49 year old Murl Alan Knapp was killed Wednesday when he was run over by a tractor in Woods County. Knapp, and his brother, were unhooking a 15-foot brush mower from the tractor when the brother then tried to start the tractor by jumping the starter solenoid, according to the report. The tractor was in reverse and when it started it ran over Knapp.


OSHA Probes Worker Death

November 29, ASHLAND CITY, TN - 47 year old Julio Colon-Figueroa of Springfield has been identified by police as the person who died in an accident at Trinity Marine in Ashland. According to the police report, Colon-Figueroa was lying on the ground next to a large piece of metal when authorities arrived on the scene and he was bleeding from his head. was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but was pronounced dead en route, according to the police report.