The Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Giving honor to those who have died from a workplace incident and to show support to their families. 

Worker Crushed by Beam

May 25, 2012 - Fargo, ND - 30 year old Trevor J. Skarphol was killed while working for Scott's Electric on a school when he was crushed under a falling steel beam.





Man Presumed Drowned

October 7 - Longview, WA - 40 year old Charles "Bill" Wiley, Jr. of Vicksburg, MS is presumed drowned after falling from the Lewis and Clark Bridge into the Columbia River. Wiley was wearing a safety harness and it is unknown why it did not stop his fall. He was employed by Odyssey-Geronimo JV based in Houston, PA.

Employee Struck by Customer Truck

October 15 - East Conway, NH - 31 year old Fei Sun, and employee for E.C. Self Storage, was killed when a customer at the facility struck him with his truck.

Employee Suffers Stroke

October 15 - Portland, ME - 45 year old David Norton, a senior communications specialist for the University of Maine System, died at a hospital days after he was found by campus police in his Portland office. He was discovered after a co-worker reported Norton didn't show up for a meeting.

Worker Inmate Electrocuted

October 15 - Airway Heights, WA - 22 year old Danny R. Bergeson, an inmate from Airway Heights Correctional Center, was killed in a logging accident while working with a Department of Natural Resources work crew in Stevens County.The crew were thinning trees and Bergeson was electrocuted near power lines.

Boiler Explosion Causes Death

October 16 - Oklahoma City, OK - Russell Mann of Davis died after being injured September 27th when a boiler exploded. Mann was employed by CVR Energy's Wynnwood Refinery .


 Fall Causes Death

October 17 - Bridge City, LA - 44 year old Jeffrey Feucht of Kenner was killed and a co-worker injured while servicing a Cargill Industries grain elevator. Reports say Feucht and a co-worker were inside the elevator shaft when a cable broke, causing it to fall.  It is unclear who the worker's actual employer was.





Worker Dies When Harness Fails

October 17 - Jackson, MS - 43 year old Stacey Andrew Washington died after being injured in a fall October 12th. Washington, a subcontractor for Harrell Construction, fell five stories and his harness failed to stop his fall. It is unclear why. 

Postal Worker Dies of Dog Bite

October 17 - New Castle, DE - 55 year old Robert Rochester, a USPS postal carrier, died after being bitten by two dogs several days earlier. He was originally treated and released from a local hospital.  It is unclear what the exact cause of death was.

Man Dies at Oil Well Site

October 20 - Williston, ND - 59 year old Arthur B. Weyrauch of Wolf Point, MT died after becoming ill while working for K & R Roustabout's at an oil field owned by William Paul XEnergy in Killdeer.  

Three Murdered Inside Salon

October 21 - Racine, WI - 35 year old Cary Robuck of Racine, 42 year old Zina Haughton of Brown Deer, and 38 year old Maelyn M. Lind of Oconomowoc were all murdered by the estranged husband of Ms. Haughton.  They were all working inside the Azana Salon and Spa when Haughton's husband burst in the shop and started shooting. He later committed suicide. 

Bouncer Killed Breaking Up Fight

October 21 - Bronx, NY - 32 year old Christopher Braham was shot to death while attempting to break up a brawl between two warring groups at Pat's Palm Tree Club where he was working security. 

Worker Struck by Truck Dies

October 22 - Plymouth, PA - 66 year old Michael Sanfelice of West Norriton, PA was killed while working on a Pennsylvania Turnpike dump truck. Another vehicle slammed into the truck Sanfelice was working on, pushing it into him. He was an employee for the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Death in the Oilfield

October 22 - Williston, ND - 60 year old Jesus Castillo of Santa Fe, NM  died after suffering burns while repairing a leak at an oil well site operated by William Paul XEnergy. Castillo worked for K & R Roustabout of Killdeer.

Longshoreman Dies

October 23 - Tampa, FL - 56 year old Hercules Gilmore of St. Petersburg was crushed under a bundle of steel pipes being prepared to offload from a ship at the Port of Tampa. As the pipes were being lifted, the strap broke sending the pipes onto Gilmore. Another worker was injured.  

Crane Operator Killed

October 23 - Kahului, Maui, HI - 62 year old Ronald Nakasone was killed when the crane he was operating tipped over, crushing him.  Nakasone was moving equipment in the baseyard of Hawthorne Pacific Corporation when the crane began to tip over.

Plant Worker Dies

October 23 - Canton, OH - 37 year old Christopher Chin died while working at Pilgrim's Pride Chicken plant. Reports say Chin was trying to dislodge a piece of debris in a piece of machinery when he was killed. 

Backhoe Driver Killed

October 24 - Hastings, MN - 46 year old Jeffrey A. Tukua died of compression asphyxia after a backhoe he was operating tipped over, crushing him. Tukua was doing work for S.M. Hentges and Sons.

Worker Killed Working on Scissor Lift

October 24 - Bedford, IN - Brian Gilbert, who was injured on October 10th, has died of injuries involving a scissor lift at General Motors factory. Gilbert was a machine repairman and reports say the scissor lift collapsed onto him.  

Port Worker Dies

October 25 - Oakland, CA - 51 year old Mark Arnett, a Port America employee was killed while working at Port of Oakland.  Arnett and another worker were working on a maintenance issue of a crane trolley and when it moved forward, Arnett was pinned between the trolley and a guardrail.

Worker Dies at Quarry

October 25 - Roanoke, VA - 70 year old Donald Reese was killed when he became trapped in a rock crusher. He was employed by Stanton Lime Company.  

Forklift Incident at Mine

October 25 - Ashland, NE - 52 year old Darold Abbott, Jr. was killed when a forklift he was operating overturned. The incident occurred at  Martin Marietta Aggregate mine near Weeping Water in Cass County.

Maintenance Worker Dies in Fall

October 26 - Lafayette, IN - 42 year old Jason Addler of Waynestown died when he fell three stories from a Marriott hotel in Lafayette. Investigators believe Addler was working in the attic when he slipped off a rafter and fell.

Mechanic Crushed Under Machine

October 27 - Deerfield, OH - 48 year old Dale Vacha was found pinned under a pneumatic lift while working at Xtreme Elements, a construction company. He was apparently working on a piece of equipment that was on the lift. 

Highway Construction Worker Killed

October 27 - Conroe, TX - 27 year old Joel Vega died when he was placing signs on along a roadway. Authorities say a vehicle struck a Williams Brothers Construction trailer which flipped, pinned Vega between the trailer and another truck. 

Texas Minister Murdered

October 29 - Forest Hill, TX - Danny Kirk, Sr. was murdered by someone who first drove their vehicle into the church building and then chased the pastor down and beat him to death. Kirk was the pastor of Greater Sweethome Missionary Baptist Church. It is unclear why the assailant sought to murder Kirk. 

Man Dies in Wall Collapse

October 29 - Honolulu/Kapolei, HI - 20 year old Alexander Tagaloa died at a hospital after being injured in a cinder block wall collapse. He was an employee with Nan, Inc. working at Schofield Barracks. 

Fireman Dies During Superstorm Sandy

October 29 - Easton, CT - 55 year old Russell Neary, a volunteer firefighter for Easton Fire Department was killed when he was struck by a falling tree limb while answering a fire call during Hurricane Sandy.  Neary's full time job was as a vice president at General Re as an underwriter in the Global Ocean Marine division.