Friday, May 13, 2011

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Tampa Electric Contractor Electrocuted

May 12, TAMPA, FL - 35 year old Jason R. Moore of Wesley Chapel died of electrocution Thursday in the Lake Magdalene area, authorities said. Moore was working in an elevated bucket when he touched a live transformer. Moore worked for Team Fishel, a utility contractor based in Columbus, Ohio, with an office in Plant City, a company official said.


Store Worker Shot Dead in Robbery Attempt

May 12, SAN ANTONIO, TX - 27 year old Aileen Harbridge was shot to death Thursday shortly after arriving at Ashley Furniture Store where she worked. Other employees who were arriving for work heard gunshots and called police. Arriving officers searched and cleared the building and are still investigating.



Border Patrol Agents Killed in Train Collision

May 12, GILA BEND, AZ - 39 year old Hector Clark and 34 year old Edward Rojas, both US Border Patrol Agents out of the Yuma sector, were killed when their SUV was hit by a freight train. Both agents were assisting in chasing a group of suspected illegal immigrants. The agents were traveling along a frontage road when the driver suddenly turned south onto a private crossing immediately in front of the fast-moving train, said Aaron Hunt, a Union Pacific Railroad spokesman.


Texas Police Chief Found Shot

May 12, LAJOYA, TX - 44 year old LaJoya Police Chief Jose Del Angel was shot to death Thursday night. LaJoya Police responded to a call about a man down at a vacant lot and found Angel shot to death inside his vehicle. Officials will await the autopsy results to determine if the wound to his upper body was self inflicted or the result of a homicide.



Rental Store Owner Shot to Death in Robbery Attempt

May 12, KANSAS CITY, MO - David Bledsoe, owner of Bledsoe Rentals, was shot to death inside his business Thursday. Two masked robbers burst into the store and demanded money. Bledsoe, who was sitting in a chair, was shot in the chest after telling the robbers "you're not going to shoot anybody". Bledsoe didn't die right away and actually took chase after them in his truck. He made it a few blocks when he got out of his truck and collapsed. He died enroute to the hospital.


Tractor Trailer Overturns, Killing Driver

May 12, CENTRAL, LA - 61 year old Harry Sherman of Albany was killed when the semi he was driving overturned on a busy roadway. Troopers say that Sherman took a curve at too high a rate of speed, causing the rig to tip over and slide off the roadway and into a private driveway. Sherman was not wearing a seat belt.


Man Working Under Vehicle Crushed

May 12, CARLSBAD, NM - 54 year old Marcos Hernandez Jr. was found dead Thursday by his supervisor. Hernandez was working under an SUV that was propped up by cinder blocks. Somehow the vehicle shifted and fell onto Hernandez, pinning him underneath. He was later found by his supervisor after he returned from lunch.



Man Dies of Asphyxiation in Grain Silo

May 11, UTICA, NY - 24 year old Craig Bernier of Mohawk died after falling into a grain silo at Point Mineral Products. Bernier was working on a ladder inside the silo, when the tether, the device attaching him to the ladder, came undone, causing him to fall. Emergency workers tried for hours to rescue Bernier from the silo located off of Wurz Ave, but by the time they got to him he had died from asphyxiation due to suffocation.



Man Dead After Clothing Becomes Entangled in Machine

May 11, BANGOR, MI - 58 year old Paris D. Prater of Bay City was working at Schmidt Industries, a company that manufactures turbine replacement parts when his clothing became entangled in a metal lathe. The report says that co-workers were able to get him out of the machine. He was rushed to Bay Regional Medical Center where he later died.



Single Vehicle Accident Kills Truck Driver

May 11, AUBURN, AL - 35 year old Antonio M. Taylor of Lizella, GA died after his 18-wheeler, which was traveling northbound on the interstate, left the roadway going into the tree line. Taylor was transported by ambulance to the East Alabama Medical Center with life–threatening injuries, where he died a short time later, Auburn police said.



Explosion at Lumber Mill Kills One, Injures Two

May 11, GASTON, OR - 60 year old Steve Allen of Forest Grove was killed and two others injured from an explosion at Stimson Lumber Company near Gaston. The men were dismantling a 6 foot long cylinder, called a hydraulic accumulator, exploded in the mill's maintenance shop. The men didn't realize the cylinder was pressurized, but the end of it blew off under high pressure.



Gasoline Tanker Driver Dies in Fiery Crash

May 11, CHARLOTTE, NC - 39 year old Jack Simmons of Jacksonville, FL died in an accident in North Carolina. Simmons was driving his gasoline tanker truck when he lost control and slammed into a concrete bridge support. Subsequently, the tanker exploded and he died in the flames.



Janitor Found Dead Inside School Library

May 11, NORTH FALMOUTH, MA - 42 year old Cornelius "Neal" Murphy of East Falmouth, a longtime custodian was found dead Wednesday in the library at the North Falmouth Elementary School. He was discovered when the daytime janitor arrived at work. Murphy appeared to have died from natural causes, according to Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe’s office.




Truck Driver Dies After Being Crushed by Spilled Load

May 10, DALLAS, TX - 40 year old Aaron Sipp of Granada, MS has died after being crushed under a load of pipe that spilled from his rig. Sipp stopped along U.S. 75 to inspect the load of pipes he was carrying. For some reason, several of the 2,100 pound pipes rolled off of the truck and onto his body. His legs were crushed by several of the fallen pipes. He was alive while rescuers worked frantically to free him but he later died at the hospital.




Tree-Cutting Accident Kills Worker

May 10, HUTCHINGSON, KS - 46 year old Joseph T. Fredrick was killed when a tree he was cutting with a chain saw fell on him. Fredrick was working to cut down trees for Ramsey Oil, his employer, when the tree fell in a way he apparently didn't anticipate and the trunk fell on his back and ended up on his shoulders. He was working alone at the time.



Man Dies After Being Pinned by Truck in DeWitt County Oil Field

May 10, YORKTOWN, TX - 30 year old Jose Gobea-Rodriguez died after being pinned between a water truck and metal tank. Gobea-Rodriguez appears to have positioned himself between the one-ton truck and the metal tank in the driver's blind spot as he backed the truck. Both Gobea-Rodriguez and the driver of the truck who hit him worked for D&B Rental, an oil field equipment rental company in Cuero.



Worker Dies After Being Struck in Head

May 10, HELENA, MT - 24 year old Keith J. Carlson died of head trauma after being struck in the head by the lid of a machine. Carlson was sandblasting floor grates outside a Helena business when the lid of the machine's tank became dislodged and struck him in the head. Carlson, an employee at the YESCO electric sign shop, was using rented equipment when the accident occurred.



Sheriff Deputy Killed by Fleeing Suspect

May 10, LEBANON, OH - 36 year old Officer Brian Dulle was killed when he was hit by a stolen vehicle at the intersection of U.S. 42 and Utica Road near Lebanon. Before reaching the stop sticks that Dulle was deploying, the vehicle went out of control, striking a culvert and going airborne and landing in a field. It's then that the driver struck Dulle.




Dump Truck Rolls Into River Killing Driver

May 9, IOWA CITY, IA - 53 year old Timothy Russell died after the truck he was driving crashed into the Iowa River south of Iowa City on Monday morning. First responders from the Iowa City and Hills fire departments brought rescue boats to the scene. Crews battled heavy rain and lightning until about 10AM. The incident is still under investigation, but it does not appear there were any other injuries. The State Medical Examiners Office will conduct an autopsy.


Box Truck Driver Killed in Rollover

May 9, PLYMOUTH, MA - 49 year old Christopher E. Richert of New Bedford died when the box delivery truck he was driving went off the roadway and overturned. He was employed with Green Pond Fish'n Gear. Richert's truck was traveling southbound when it left the roadway and entered the center median. The truck struck several trees, rolled over, and came to rest on the driver’s side. Richert was not wearing a seat belt.



Tractor Trailer Driver Dies in Truck/Train Collision

May 9, HAMMOND, LA - 57 year old Randall Choate of McComb, MS was killed when his truck was hit by a train. Choate was hauling live chickens when he crossed onto railroad tracks in front of an eastbound freight train. The accident happened on a private road near U.S. Highway 190 that leads to Sanderson Farms east of Hammond.



Emergency Medical Technician Dies in Ambulance Crash

May 9, FONTANA, CA - 23 year old Douglas L. Odgers of Rialto died when the ambulance he was riding in was involved in a crash on I-10. Odgers was in the back of the ambulance, unrestrained, when for unknown reasons the ambulance traveled in a northwesterly direction and collided with a wood/metal guardrail located north of the roadway edge of the freeway. The ambulance traveled out of control and subsequently struck a large freeway overhead sign support with its front side, the CHP said. Odgers sustained major trauma and was transported to San Antonio Community Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.


Worker Dies in Oil Rig Incident

May 9, WILLIAMS COUNTY, ND - 52 year old Joe Kronberg of Bison has died in an incident at the Nabors Rig 177 near Williston. Williams County Sheriff`s deputies responded to the call. Detective Amanda McNamee says Kronberg was not electrocuted, however no more information is being released at this time about the cause of death.



Worker Dies of Injuries in Forklift Accident

May 9, PONTIAC, IL - 52 year old Daniel. W. Lydigsen of Dwight died Monday of injuries he received in an incident April 13 when he apparently stepped in front of a forklift at Futures Unlimited, Pontiac. An employee of Midwest Fiber, who was driving toward his truck in the east driveway, said he didn’t see Lydigsen, police said.




Deli Employee Shot & Killed in Robbery

May 9, NEW HAVEN, CT - Bilal Tinawi was found shot to death when police responded to reports of gunfire at the Post Road Deli. According to reports, the gunman walked into the store with a shotgun and opened fire after robbing Tinawi. Police are reviewing surveillance video from the store and nearby businesses. They do not know the motive for the shooting, but have called Tinawi's death a homicide.


Worker Hit and Killed While on Break


May 9, MORRIS, IL - 27 year old Derek L. Posey was killed when a car struck a tractor Monday in Stratton Park. Posey was on break with two other workers at 11:54 a.m. while the three were working community service hours for the Department of Natural Resources. The workers were sitting in the bucket of the tractor when a motorist struck the tractor. The workers were ejected out of the bucket and Posey died instantly. The force of the collision forced the vehicle that struck the tractor into a state of Illinois work truck.



Trooper on Escort Duty Dies in Collision

May 7, NASHVILLE, TN - 36 year old State Trooper Andy Wall suffered a head injury and died when his motorcycle was hit by another motorist. Trooper Wall and another officer were escorting the U.S. Air Force Thunderbird pilots to the Smyrna Air Show. The accident remains under investigation and no further information is available for release at this time.


Worker Dies of Toxic Fumes Removing Old Equipment

May 7, PHOENIXVILLE, PA - 28 year old Wayne Edeline of Philadelphia died after being overcome by fumes from an old air conditioning system while working in a vacant building. It is believed he inhaled Freon gas while removing mechanical equipment and scrap material from the empty warehouse in Charlestown Township, Chester County. A preliminary investigation found the air conditioning system was still pressurized and several valves had been opened, allowing the gas to escape. Three other workers were also pulled from the building and were treated and released.


Worker Crushed in Press Machine

May 6, QUINTER, KS - 45 year old Michael Wente died after an incident at the Formation Plastics factory in Quinter. Wente was working on a press when he became entangled in the press. He was subsequently crushed by the machine. Wente was taken to Gove County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.



Worker Dies Of Fall Injuries

May 5, ELKO, NV - 41 year old Carlos A. Islas died of injuries he suffered in a fall. According to police, on May 4 Islas fell about 30 feet through the roof of the former Redstone Supply commercial building on Mountain City Highway that is under refurbishment. He was transported to Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital and subsequently to Utah. He died the next day from injuries that included major head trauma.




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