Wednesday, October 14, 2015

The Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Following is an account of workers who were lost on the job that we were not previously aware of. Our hearts go out to the family members of these workers and offer our help and resources if needed.

Tree Trimmer Struck by Branch

August 25, 2015 - West Branch, MI - 55 year old Dennis Kennelly of Pinconning was working from an elevated bucket trimming trees when he was struck by a branch. As he was reportedly standing in the bucket of a front end loader, with the branch chained to the bucket, when it split it came back and pushed Kennelly against the back of the bucket. He was employed by Michigan Mud Jacking of West Branch.


Technician Struck by Explosive

August 25, 2015 -  Atlanta, GA - 52 year old Richard "Rick" Lambert of Douglasville was an explosives technician when something went wrong and he was struck by an explosive shot. Details are not known. He was employed by Precision Blasting, LLC of Atlanta.


Worker Dies in Fall From Platform

August 25, 2015 - Maspeth, NY - An unidentified employee for Hmart Har Maspeth Corp. was killed on the job after falling from an elevated platform. Attempts to locate more information has not been successful.


Employee Struck by Iron Gate

August 25, 2015 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - An unidentified employee of Forward Van Lines, Inc. was fatally struck by an iron gate in an unknown incident. We have been unsuccessful in locating more information.


Man Killed in Tree Trimming Incident

August 25, 2015 - Covina Hills, CA - Nahum Fernandez died on the job after he fell while trimming trees for his employer Best Tree Company.  Further information was not found.


Tipping Boom Traps Worker

August 26, 2015 - West Hartford, CT - 43 year old William T. Shook of Middlefield was fatally injured when the boom truck he was using tipped over.  Shook was outside of the truck, deploying its boom on an interstate ramp when the truck became unstable and rolled over. He was crushed between it and the guardrail. He was a bridge inspector working for McClain & Company, Inc.


Worker Struck by Fallen Tree

August 26, 2015 - Beaver, WV - An unidentified worker struck and killed by a tree in an unknown incident. He or she was employed by Lamberts Tree Removal, LLC.  Attempts to locate further information was not successful.


Fall From Manlift Kills Worker

August 26, 2015 - Chopin, LA - An unidentified employee for Flexible Lifeline Systems, Inc. was killed on the job after falling from a manlift. No further information was found.


Grain Bin Incident Kills Man

August 26, 2015 - Farnhamville, IA - 27 year old Bret Steck of Gowrie was engulfed in soybeans in a grain silo incident. He had been cleaning the grain bin under proper supervision when the incident happened. He was working for Farmer's Cooperative Company of Farnhamville.


Worker Electrocuted

August 26, 2015 - Templeton, CA - 46 year old David Kinman of Paso Robles died on the job after being electrocuted by a power line. Details of how or why the incident happened are unknown. He was an employee of Atlantis Water Works, Templeton. 


Employee Struck by Vehicle

August 26, 2015 - Southaven, MS - An unidentified worker was struck and killed by a motor vehicle in unknown circumstances while working for American Sales and Services, Southaven.


Another Death to Being Struck by Vehicle

August 27, 2015 - Milton, FL - 33 year old Patrick O'Neal Wilcox was an employee of True Blue, Inc., a specialized workforce agency, working on an unknown job when he was struck and killed by a motor vehicle.



Worker Fatally Crushed

August 27, 2015 - Burlington, IA -  Matt Martin died on the job after he was crushed between lift arms and a skid loader. Details of the incident are not known. He was employed by Rexco Equipment, Inc.


Man Dies After Fall

August 27, 2015 - Riverside, CA - James Hayes was an employee for Manheim, Inc. at the time of his death. He fell from an unknown height and struck his head. More information has not been found.


Worker Falls Through Opening

August 27, 2015 - Winona, MN - 24 year old Brent Allen Burt was working on top of a barge when he fell, suffering head trauma. Burt was working on top of the barge container and fell after one of the hatch openings had shifted unexpectedly. He was an employee for CD Corporation.


Man Falls Through Window

August 28, 2015 - Cincinnati, OH - 66 year old Thomas Bomkamp was killed on the job after falling from a fourth story window in an unknown circumstance. He was employed by Technicrete Corporation. 



Possible Toxic Exposure Kills Worker

August 28, 2015 - Talihina, OK - 35 year old Lonnie E. Adams of McAlester died of possible toxic exposure after entering a gasoline fuel sump. Details are minimal. He was part owner of Procore Fuel Solutions of Talihina.


Three Electrocuted, One Dies

 August 28, 2015 - Draper, UT - 39 year old Aaron Garn of Eagle Mountain was working with two co-workers on the roof of a local gym. They were using an aluminum ladder that came into contact with a power line and all were electrocuted. Garn was killed and one co-worker was critical after suffering a heart attack after the incident. The men worked for Knockout Roofing, LLC of Draper.  


Logging Incident Kills One
 
August 28, 2015 - Clarkia, ID - 54 year old Bill "Wicker" Schmadeka of Grangeville loved his job and was an equipment man according to his family. He was at a logging site near Clarkia operating logging equipment when it became unstable and overturned. Schmadeka was an employee for Jackson Russell Logging.      


Heavy Machinery Causes Man's Death

August 28, 2015 - Stockton, AL - 61 year old Charlie James Pugh of Jackson died on the job after being dragged by a skidder machine. Details of how or why the incident took place are not known. He was employed by Black Sheep Woodlands, LLC.                 


Man Dies in Fall From Ladder

August 28, 2015 - San Antonio, TX - Daniel Crabtree was killed on the job after he fell from a ladder in unknown circumstances. He was employed by AST-AV LLC.

Equipment Causes Death

August 29, 2015 - Miramar, FL - An unidentified employee for Cone and Graham Inc. was struck and killed by a diesel hammer. Further information has not been found.


Heavy Dump Truck Overturns

August 31, 2015 - Jonesville, MI - 23 year old Steven Douglas Barnhill was in the driver's seat of a dump truck that was being loaded with rocks by an excavator when it overturned, trapping him inside the cab. A sheriff's department spokesman said the truck was loaded "pretty heavily" and rolled down the hill onto its roof in a field. Investigators believe a "mechanical failure" caused the dump truck to overturn. He was employed by US Rock LLC of Jonesville. 


Man Falls From Roof

August 31, 2015 - Longmont, CO - 39 year old Tereso Zamarripa-Hernandez of Aurora was working at a shopping center under construction in Longmont when he died. He fell through an opening in the roof that was only partially covered by a piece of plywood. He was employed by The Ramos Roofing Company.


Worker Dies at Manufacturing Facility

August 31, 2015 - Clanton, AL - 22 year old Cedric Lee Hayes, Jr. of Maplesville was killed on the job when he was crushed by railroad ties during an inspection. He was employed by Stella-Jones Corporation, manufacturer of railroad supplies.


Tree Falls Onto City Employee

August 31, 2015 - Humboldt, TN - 70 year old George "Rocking Chair" Adams was a fixture around Humboldt. He worked for the City of Humbolt for 25 years. He and others were working to clear debris at a local park when a tree he was working around fell onto him. He was pulling vines but did not realize how rotted the tree was. He died later that day at a local hospital.


Worker Pinned Under Materials

August 31, 2015 - Lyons, GA - An unidentified worker was struck and pinned under a bundle of veneers that fell from a scissor jack. Attempts to locate the employee's name have been unsuccessful. He or she worked for Advanced Veneer Technologies, Inc. 


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