Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Wrecker Employee Shot and Killed

February 24, ATLANTA, GA - 44 year old Travis Fenty was killed when a man opened fire on him and another worker who were hired to remove cars from a property. The shooter insisted the property belonged to him and didn't want the vehicles moved even though the property had been lost to him in a tax foreclosure sale two years ago. Several attempts had been made to remove the cars to no avail. This time the suspect went inside and began firing from an upstairs window. Fenty worked for Quick Drop Impounding. The suspect has been arrested and charged with murder.


Worker Found Dead At Gravel Facility

February 24, SALT LAKE CITY, UT - 56 year old Allan K. Sherman, an equipment operator, was found dead at the Bolinder Resources facility on the Great Salt Lake’s Stansbury Island on Thursday. Sherman was not conscious, breathing or responsive when paramedics arrived and found him face down on a conveyor belt, a Sheriff spokesman said. He reportedly fell onto a conveyor belt and became trapped. His body then traveled about 25 feet on the belt, which carries dirt and rocks to a crusher. That's when his body became stuck under a giant magnet.


Tow Truck Driver Dragged to His Death

February 23, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - 35 year old Allen Rose, who worked for J&J Towing, was killed when he was tangled in the chain of his truck and dragged for more than a mile to his death. Rose was hooking up an SUV parked illegally when a woman jumped into the vehicle and took off. Rose's legs became entangled in a tow cable as the driver drove off. Rose was a married father of two.


Logger Killed by Falling Tree

February 23, MAGNOLIA, AR - 51 year old Donnie Moss of Camden was killed in a logging accident on Wednesday. A crew from East Camden-based Rogers Lumber Co. was working off U.S. 371 when a falling tree unexpectedly bounced off another tree on its way down and struck Moss. Federal OSHA is investigating what appears to be an accident.


Truck Driver Dies in Crash

February 23, LOUISVILLE, KY - 46 year old Ronnie Grubbs of New Paris, OH died as a result of injuries suffered in a truck crash. Grubbs worked for a Richmond, Ind., delivery service and was driving a new garbage truck to Waste Management Co. in LA. For an unknown reason Grubbs went off the shoulder of the road and struck three trailers in a sales lot.


Truck Driver Found Dead

February 23, HINKLEY, CA - 61 year old Michael Earl Morris of Escalon suffered an unknown fatal medical ailment causing him to crash his semi truck off of westbound Highway 58 eight miles west of Hinkley Wednesday morning. A witness discovered the crash and called 911. Responders found Morris slumped over the wheel of his semi. The California Highway Patrol is investigating.


Man Dies While Driving Business Van

February 23, EUFALA, AL - 56 year old Ricky Lamar Kent, part owner of Marshall Memorial Funeral Home, died Wednesday after he collapsed while driving the funeral home van. Kent and another employee were transporting someone who had died when he slumped over the wheel while driving. The other employee took the wheel but couldn't control the van which then veered into a gas station and into another vehicle. The employee and the other driver were seriously injured and flown to a local hospital.



Cab of Jackknifed Tractor Trailer Falls Off Bridge

February 23, INDEPENDENCE, OH - 52 year old Larry Cunningham of Cleveland died when his semi crashed on the Valley View Bridge. Another vehicle caused Cunningham to try and stop his rig which caused it to jackknife. The trailer went to one side of the bridge overpass and the cab went over the other side. Cunningham had been a truck driver for 32 years and was driving for Gray Container, a Cleveland company owned by his cousin Anthony Gray.



Contractor Working on Home Shot and Killed

February 22, NEW ORLEANS, LA - 53 year old Boris Scott was shot and killed while he worked on a vacant house Tuesday. Scott, a self employed general contractor, was working with another man when a gunman approached Scott and shot him several times. Police have not released details on a possible motive or suspect.


Restaurateur Killed in Robbery

February 22, COLUMBIA, SC - 66 year old Steve Kim was shot once in the back with a stolen pistol during a robbery Tuesday night at his Dino’s on Decker restaurant. A 23 year old man went on a two hour crime spree which resulted in four armed robberies which then resulted in Kim being killed. Kim stayed late to prepare a meal for a late hungry customer when the suspect walked in demanding money and shot Kim.





Church Bus Crash Claims Life of Driver

February 21, LAKE ARROWHEAD, CA - 61 year old Won Seok Chae of Los Angeles, died of injuries he suffered in a bus crash Monday. The bus carrying teenagers and their chaperon's home from a weekend religious retreat collided with another vehicle on a treacherous mountain road and careened down a steep, snow-covered embankment that killed Chae and left at least 10 seriously injured. John Cho, a deacon at the Light of Love Mission Church, described Chae as a professional tour bus driver who volunteered to drive the church's bus on weekends.



Worker Dies in Drilling Rig Accident

February 21, MIDLAND, TX - 44 year old Ronnie May of Sequin died when he and another man were working on a rig owned by Tulsa, OK based Helmerich & Payne Inc. The two men were working on some drilling pipe on a rack when the pipe slipped. A spokesman said one man’s leg was caught by it, and May was caught between the pipe and some drill collars, crushing May.


Radio Tower Worker Falls to Death

February 20, OKEECHOBEE, FL - 43 year old Michael Anthony Scott of Hazelhurst, GA plunged to his death from a radio tower in Okeechobee on Sunday. Scott and another worker, working for Davis Specialties of Waycross, GA, were on a radio tower installing antenna wires for South Florida Water Management when Scott fell approximately 120 ft. to his death. His safety harness appeared to be intact. The case is being investigated by OSHA.



Third St. Petersburg Officer Killed

February, 20, ST. PETERSBURG, FL - 46 year old Officer David Crawford was shot and killed when he responded to a call Monday. He is the third Florida officer killed in less than a month. A 16 year old male suspect has been arrested in the death of Officer Crawford.




New York Officer Shot to Death by Suspect

February 18, POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - 44 year old Officer John Falcone of Marlboro, was killed by a gunman who had just shot his wife and was holding his 3 year old daughter in his arms. Falcone was able to rescue the child from her father before he was shot. After firing on Officer Falcone, he turned the gun on himself. Falcone had responded to a domestic situation at a train station.



Firefighter Dies Two Days After Ceiling Collapse

February 18, LOS ANGELES, CA - 61 year old Glenn Allen, a veteran firefighter nearing retirement died at a hospital Friday, two days after he was pulled without a heartbeat from the rubble of a burning Hollywood Hills home where the ceiling had collapsed, authorities said. Unknown to firefighters, the blaze had burned through sprinkler pipes in the attic and filled the space with water, collapsing a drop ceiling held in place by 2-by-4-inch wood struts and burying Allen, Capt. Haro said.


Falling Boulder Crushes Worker Clearing Trail

February 17, GALES CREEK, OR - 59 year old Randy Hodges of Medford was killed when a boulder broke loose on a hillside and rolled into him while he was clearing a trail. Hodges, a contract employee for the Oregon Department of Forestry, was hired to open up a trail near a Gales Creek campground. When Hodges family hadn't heard from him in several days, a state worker searched and found him dead on the trail.



Police Officer Dies in Cruiser Crash

February 17, DELRAY BEACH, FL - 39 year old Adam Rosenthal of Parkland, a Sgt. of Delray Beach Police Department, died in a car crash Thursday. Rosenthal crashed his cruiser into a tree with such force that the trunk tore through the passenger side and half the car, investigators said. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is investigating what made the decorated officer's car leave the street and crash into a tree on the median, including any mechanical malfunctions to the cruiser.


Worker Falls Three Stories from Roof

February 17, NEW BEDFORD, MA - Luis Gilberto Tenezaca Palaguache died Thursday when he fell while stripping off the roof of a house on Hathaway St. Palaguache was speaking with a co-worker on the ground when he suddenly fell off the roof and landed on the asphalt driveway below, said New Bedford Police Capt. David Lizotte. Palaguache was not wearing a safety harness. There were no indications of drug or alcohol use, police said. It is believed Palaguache worked for Chelsea Enterprises Construction for general contractor A Plus General Contracting of New Bedford.



Police Captain Dies of Heart Attack During Training

February 16, DAYTONA BEACH, FL - 52 year old Captain John I. "Jay" McDonough suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in a department training exercise. He was jogging in the area of International Speedway Boulevard and South Peninsula Drive when he collapsed. Captain McDonough served as a member of the Volusia County Beach Patrol for 13 years. He is survived by his wife, son, father, sister, and brother.


Tractor Trailer Driver Dies in Fiery Crash

February 15, FORESTVILLE, MD - 57 year old Osborne H. Bailey of Charleston, SC died when his trailer struck a bridge embankment of the D'Arcy Road overpass in Forestville at about 11 p.m. Tuesday, according to Maryland State Police. His vehicle also collided with several cars, injuring one man. Investigators are investigating the cause of the crash.


Oil Rig Worker Dies Two Weeks After Being Injured

February 15, CHEYENNE, WY - 50 year old Mitchell Lemley of Riverton, who was injured on February 2 when he fell 60 feet while working at a drilling rig, has died. Lemley worked for Casper-based SST Energy, which was drilling the well for another company.