Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Church Van Crash Kills Driver

June 23, OAK GROVE, LA - Joey McKan died today from injuries he received in a vehicle accident. The accident happened Wednesday night killing several passengers. The van, belonging to New Zion Baptist Church, somehow went off the road and hit a concrete ditch. The family of McKan think he may have had a seizure prior to the accident.


Incident at Grain Mill Dies

June 22, ROZEL, KS - Rosendo "Manny" Ceniceros of Rozel died of unknown causes at Rozel Grain Industries. Golden Valley Inc. officials confirmed that Rosendo "Manny" Ceniceros died Wednesday in the accident at its Rozel facility but released no other details of the accident.


Fed Ex Semi Driver Dies in Crash with Pickup Truck

June 22, LAS CRUSES, NM - 43 year old Elizabeth Quintana, a Fed Ex tractor-trailer driver, was killed when her rig crashed into a pick up truck Wednesday morning. The circumstances as to cause of the crash are not listed, although in the crash a mother and her daughter were also killed.


Double Fatality in Tractor Trailer Crash

June 22, SUGAR TREE, TN - 62 year old Donald G. Cousins and 62 year old Daniel J. Cousins of Depew, NY were killed when their tractor trailer crashed on Interstate 40 in Decatur County. Officials said the truck was west bound on I-40 and six miles west of Sugar Tree when it ran into the median, hit a beam, went over a bridge barrier and caught fire.


Tractor Trailer Driver Dies in Crash

June 21, PIERCETON, IN - 65 year old Roger A. Schmale of Norfolk, NE was killed when his semi crashed into the back of another semi. According to reports, a rig in front of Schmale slowed for a red light and Schmale couldn't stop in time and slammed into the back of it. Schmale’s tractor-trailer rig was hauling large pieces of farm equipment.



Two Firefighters Die Battling Wild Fire

June 21, HAMILTON COUNTY, FL - 31 year old Josh Burch of Lake City (left in photo) and 52 year old Brett Fulton of White Springs died while working to control a blaze in Hamilton County. Burch and Fulton died at the Blue Ribbon Fire when they were caught in a burnover. The state is investigating the circumstances that led to their death. Two other firefighters who tried to rescue them were treated at hospitals in Gainesville and Lake City for smoke inhalation. The firefighters worked for the Florida Division of Forestry.



Crop Dusting Plane Crash Kills Pilot

June 21, BLAINE COUNTY, MT - Marvin Edwards, the pilot of a crop duster, was killed when the plane crashed near a farm house near Hogeland. Edwards was also the Blaine County Coroner and ran Edwards Funeral Home in Chinook.


Man Falls to His Death Through Building Skylight

June 21, WOONSOCKET, RI - 49 year old Alan Fernandes died Tuesday in a fall. After stopping to check on a renovation project on a building his brother is working on, he stepped on a glass skylight in the floor of the building’s attic and fell four flights down the open stairwell below to the building’s basement, according to Woonsocket Police Lt. Eugene Jalette. He had gone up the staircase and into the attic area where the accident occurred. The skylight in the floor was below another skylight the building’s roof and may have been installed when the building was constructed to help light the stairway below.



Worker Falls From Barge, Drowns

June 21, JEFFERSON PARISH, LA - 52 year old Larry Hartford of Old Jefferson died after falling into the Mississippi River Tuesday morning. Hartford was an employee for Zito Fleeting LLC working on a barge. Co-workers noticed Hartford missing about 8am and after searching the area they spotted him in the water and pulled him out.


Oil Field Worker Swallowed up in Sinkhole

June 21, TAFT, CA - 54 year old Dave Taylor, a 33 year Chevron employee construction rep, died when a sinkhole opened up and he fell in. The sinkhole was only wide enough for one person, and no one else was hurt. Emergency personnel estimated the hole to be 20-30 feet deep, and they said it could have been filled with oil and steam.


Worker Dies in Trench Cave In

June 21, MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, PA - 27 year old Butch Sweitzer of York County died on a construction site when a trench he was working in collapsed. Sweitzer was laying residential water lines in the 10-foot-deep trench when it caved in. Sweitzer worked for York Excavating. There was no shoring on the trench.


Man Dies in Silo Auger Incident

June 20, CAMPBELLSPORT, WI - 49 year old Mark Krewald died Monday after his legs became entangled in an auger inside a silo. Four employees for Philip Marjerus Dairy Barn were cleaning out old feed from the silo when Krewald lost his balance and fell feet first into the auger. Another employee was able to shut the auger off, however Krewald’s legs remained entangled in the auger, according to the Sheriff’s Department report.



Two City Workers Killed When Hit by Train

June 20, CHERAW, SC - 57 year old Barney Driggers and 52 year old Glenn Locklear, employees for Cheraw's Public Works, were killed Monday when their work truck was hit by an Amtrak Train. Driggers and Locklear were driving their truck, pulling a trailer when it was struck by the train. There were no crossing arms at the intersection.


State Worker and Semi Driver Killed in Wreck

June 20, MEMPHIS, TN - 49 year old Robert Nowicki of Adamsville, TN, a Tennessee Dept. of Transportation HELP driver, and 41 year old Tony L. Davis of Steele, MO, a tractor trailer driver, were killed when Davis' semi slammed into a disabled semi which then hit Nowicki. Nowicki stopped to help the disabled tractor trailer on the Interstate 55 bridge over the Mississippi River when Davis' truck struck the disabled truck. Nowicki was standing outside his truck when he was struck.



Highway Maintenance Worker Struck and Killed

June 20, SAN DIEGO, CA - 52 year old Richard Gonzales of San Ysidro died Monday when he was struck by a vehicle while working along the I-15 freeway. He was part of a CALTRANS clean up crew. Gonzales is the third maintenance crew member killed in 48 days.


Electrical Apprentice Dies After Receiving Shock

June 20, ANCHORAGE, AK - 26 year old Abigail Caudle died after being shocked and then falling about 9 feet. Caudle was an apprentice electrician working with two journeymen on an electrical remodel, said Don Lederhos, president of Raven Electric. The exact manner or cause of her death is unclear.


Mechanic Suffers Fatal Crush Injuries

June 20, NEW ALBANY, KY - 54 year old Ronnie Cobb Jr. died Friday when a truck he was working on rolled back off a lift and onto him. Cobb, an employee for Ace Automotive, was working on a truck and when he removed the drive shaft it was like being in neutral and it started rolling backwards. The movement created too much weight on the lift and it just gave way.



Man Crushed While Working to Clear Trees

June 20, SACKETS HARBOR, NY - 47 year old Kenneth Bush of Lacona was killed Monday morning when he was pinned in an excavator by an uprooted tree. A 40-foot-tall tree followed the arm of the excavator and slid down onto the cab. The machine had been cutting and pulling trees at the eastern end of Madison Barracks. Mr. Bush was pinned inside the cab for seven to ten minutes before rescuers arrived, but he was unconscious and unresponsive.


Church Van Driver Dies in Crash

June 20, WINSTON-SALEM, NC - 43 year old Cedric Hooper died after the van he was driving ran off the road and hit two utility poles. The van was carrying 13 children for Emmanuel Baptist Church when the accident happened. None of the children were seriously injured. Police are investigating the accident.



Pharmacist Killed by Drug Seeking Robber

June 19, LONG ISLAND, NY - 45 year old Raymond Ferguson of Centerreach was shot and killed Sunday by a gunman who entered the store seeking prescription drugs. He, along with another worker and two customers were shot dead inside the Haven Drugs Pharmacy in Medford. Ferguson usually worked about twice a month as needed and had been called in to work Father's Day. Surveillance video captured the suspect and police are searching for him.



Pharmacy Clerk Shot to Death

June 19, LONG ISLAND, NY - 17 year old Jennifer Mejia of East Patchogue was shot and killed inside the Haven Drugs Pharmacy where she worked on Father's Day. She, along with the pharmacist and two customers, were gunned down by a man who was robbing the store of drugs. Mejia was due to graduate high school Thursday and was an aspiring doctor.



Gas Station Clerk Killed in Robbery Attempt

June 18, HOUSTON, TX - 28 year old Syed Hussain was shot and killed by a man who tried to rob money from his employer, a Chevron gas station. Hussain was walking another employee who was carrying a large sum of cash to a parked car near the pumps when a man approached the employees. Hussain and the gunman struggled over the money and was shot.



Clerk Fatally Shot by Robbers

June 18, ENGLEWOOD, IL - 48 year old Asad Almhana of Palos Park was fatally shot inside Max's Food Mart while working Saturday. Four teenagers entered the store and shot through an opening that merchandise is passed through in the bullet proof glass that separates the clerk from the customers. Relatives had been urging Almhana to quit because of the danger. Almhana was taken to a local hospital where he died.


Cause of Death Unknown for Plumber

June 17, FAYETTEVILLE, NC - 31 year old Tony Locklear died of unknown injuries or circumstances while working under a home in Fayetteville. Locklear was an employee for Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Drain and was in the crawl space of a house when he yelled to co-workers for help, authorities said. Rescuers cut a hole in the kitchen floor to reach Locklear but he was dead behind an air conditioning duct.


Wall Collapse Takes the Life of Firefighter

June 17, PICKNEYVILLE, IL - 22 year old Corey Shaw, a member of the DuQuoin Fire Department, was killed Friday during a massive blaze that destroyed two historical structures in Pickneyville. Shaw died as the result of a wall collapsing while he was battling the blaze. He leaves behind a two year old daughter.


Logging Accident Kills Worker

June 17, OWSLEY COUNTY, KY - Wayne Caudill of Lee County died Friday at a job site in the Meadowcreek community in Owsley County. Caudill and his brother-in-law bought 100 acres of timber and were working on cutting it up when the chainsaw kicked back and severed an artery in Caudill's arm. Only his brother-in-law was around to get help. His brother-in-law was the only one around to go get help and by the time they got back it was too late.


Truck Driver Dies in Rollover

June 16, SUMMERTOWN, TN - 73 year old Junior J. Peters of Corinth, MS died when the semi he was driving overturned. Peters was rounding a curve when the cargo in his trailer shifted, causing the truck to flip, according to a crash report.








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