Monday, July 26, 2010

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Crash Kills County Worker

July 23, MARBLE FALLS, TX - A head-on collision in Marble Falls Friday morning killed a teen and a Burnet County employee. Officials said both drivers died at the scene after the pickup traveling eastbound on SH 71 crossed the double yellow lines and struck the westbound dump truck head-on at 7:37 a.m. The impact knocked off the dump truck's rear axel, and it rolled and caught on fire. Officials said the driver of the pickup was a 17-year-old male, and the dump truck driver was a Burnet County Precinct 4 worker around 50 years old.


Worker Trapped in Trench Dies

July 23, DETROIT, MI - Dennis Jackson died after being caught in a trench collapse Friday afternoon. Another construction worker who was working the trench in a backhoe and residents in the area tried to pull the man out of the trench, but could only pull him enough to free his chest. "When we got back all we can see is his hat. We got his upper torso and then by that time the Fire Department got here," a worker said. It remains unclear why the walls of 18-foot-deep hole caved in.


MI Police Officer Fatally Shot

July 23, TAYLOR, MI - 31 year old Corporal Matthew Edwards died while responding to a domestic dispute. It started around 6:00 a.m. Friday when two Taylor Police officers responded to a 911 call that someone was breaking into the Coppertree Apartments. When they arrived, the officers confronted the suspect they caught going through a window. Turns out it was actually a domestic situation. Witnesses say Edwards was talking to the suspect when he all of a sudden pulled out a gun and started firing at Edwards. Edwards' partner quickly returned fire, shooting the suspect several times. The suspect and police traded more than a dozen gunshots. The suspect survived. Edwards did not. Edwards leaves behind a wife and two young children. He was recently honored as "Officer of the Year".


Deputy Dies Responding to Call

July 23, CLIFFIELD, VA - 35 year old Deputy Sheriff Shawn Hess of Tazwell died early Friday morning following a single-vehicle accident while responding to an assistance call from Richlands police, according to Detective Anne Hickman with the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office. Jess was responding to a “serious call” from the Richlands Police Department when his car hit a guardrail around 5:30 a.m and went over an embankment, according to Hickman. A passerby called in the accident, saying he saw the vehicle go off the road near Bug Street. Hickman said the vehicle was found near the Clinch River.


American Samoa Officer Shot and Killed

July 23, PAGO PAGO,AMERICAN SAMOA - Detective Lt. Lusila Brown, serving as security, was shot by a man who attended a relative’s court hearing. The witnesses of the murder says that the killer knew the detective, the witnesses heard him asking the detective for a chance to talk. They left the temporary High School Building in the U.S. territory but suddenly like a bolt from the blue the killer pulled a handgun from his bag and shot the detective to death.


Truck Driver for Carrie Underwood Dies in Crash

July 23, N. STONINGTON, CT - An unidentified tractor trailer driver who was carrying staging for Carrie’s Play On tour, died this morning when his semi truck crashed. State police said the accident happened early Saturday morning, when the truck, which was traveling north in the left lane, crossed the left shoulder and struck a guardrail, igniting the fuel tanks and sending the rig up in flames, before it tumbled over the bridge. Preliminary observations, according to one officer at the scene, indicate the driver fell asleep, since there did not appear to be any skid marks on the roadway.


Gerdau Ameristeel Employee Dies On-Site

July 23, CARTERSVILLE, GA - An employee of Gerdau Ameristeel died Friday morning at the Cartersville steel mill, 384 Old Grassdale Road. The incident involved the employee being struck by a piece of heavy, mobile equipment. UPDATED: Authorities have identified the worker killed as 55 year old Lewis "Bill" Leary.


Two Workers Killed in Natural Gas Explosion

July 23, INDIANA TWP, PA - Two workers in Indiana Township, Pennsylvania were killed in a natural gas explosion Friday, officials said. The explosion sparked a fire, but the once tall flames were brought under control before long, Evanto said. The names of the victims were not immediately released. The exact cause has not been detailed in full, but state officials believe "people were welding at the site and there was an explosion and the well caught fire," said Helen Humphries, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.


Man Found Dead in Work Related Accident

July 22, LOUISVILLE, KY - 43 year old Kevin Burrus died Thursday evening at University Hospital of multiple blunt force injuries and asphyxia, said Jim Wesley, a deputy Jefferson County coroner. Fellow employees found Burrus unconscious and unresponsive about 7 p.m. at Universal Linen. Burrus was standing up but pinned between two pieces of equipment. Homicide detectives are conducting a death investigation, Mitchell said.


Highway Volunteer Hit, Killed

July 22, GREEN BAY, WS - 70 year old Cornelius "Corky" VanHandel of New London was struck and killed while working along a road in Brown County. Authorities say VanHandel was working in a ditch along Highway 41 near De Pere Wednesday evening when he was struck by a car. He was volunteering for the Adopt-A-Highway program.


Greyhound Bus Driver Killed in Crash

July 22, FRESNO, CA - 57 year old James Jewett of Sacramento died when the tourist filled Greyhound Bus he was driving crashed into an SUV that had also crashed. Authorities suspect that the driver could not see the dark, overturned Trailblazer, which probably didn't have its lights on. The bus, carrying 36 people, hit the Trailblazer, careened to the east and clipped a Honda CR-V, authorities said. All three vehicles went off the highway and down a 15-foot embankment, according to the California Highway Patrol. The bus crashed into a eucalyptus tree, knocking the tree over and leaving limbs sticking from gaping holes in the bus. The 3 people in the Trailblazer died as did 2 of the bus passengers.


Man Killed in Log Truck Accident

July 22, VERNONIA, OR - 33 year old Joshua Schultz was killed and his 10 year old son was seriously injured when logs on the back of a truck crushed the cab, troopers said. For some unknown reason the truck crashed into a telephone pole and at least one tree before coming to an abrupt stop, which sent the logs forward and onto the cab, troopers said.


Workers Die Following Fall From Radio Tower

July 22, ANNISTON, AL - 37 year old Barry Sloan died when a McClellan radio tower was accidentally knocked down. Initially, 41 year old Jonce Hubble was reported injured but died while in surgery. Coroner Pat Brown said he could not release the exact cause of the accident, but noted the incident involved a vehicle. “(Sloan) was on the radio tower and there was a vehicle which hit a guy-wire, which caused the tower to fall,” Brown said.


Two Die in Blast in PA Refinery Explosion

July 22, PITTSBURGH, PA - 53 year old James Taylor of Aliqiuippa and 41 year old Corey Keller of Newell, WV were killed Thursday in an explosion that rocked the refinery portion of Horsehead Corp's Zinc Plant. Both men suffered smoke inhalation. The company says the exact cause remains under investigation. Investigators from an employees union and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are also looking into the explosion.


Sheriff Struck and Killed by Fugitives

July 22, GEORGE COUNTY, MS - George County Sheriff Gary Welford was struck and killed by two people fleeing officers. Sheriff Welford was placing spike strips on the highway to stop them. The pair then left their vehicle and fled into the woods. Authorities were searching a wooded area along North Bexley Road near Lucedale for an 18-year-old female and her 24-year-old male passenger.


Worker Dead After Worksite Collapses On Him

July 22, ANCHORAGE, AL - 45 year old Steven Ziegler died when the structure he was standing on collapsed sending him falling down a hole with concrete and dirt that would eventually bury him. He was excavating an old well to get water to the new Goose Bay prison site. "Steven was working around a water well pipe casing when part of the casing gave way and he fell approximately from we can guess approximately 20 feet underneath the casing and was buried by dirt," said Alaska State Trooper James Streicher. Completely covered for over 15 minutes in the hole by concrete casing, rocks and dirt, Ziegler's rescue turned into a recovery to get his body out.


Two Die in Medical Helicopter Crash

July 22, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - A medical helicopter on its way to pick up a patient crashed in a secluded field in central Oklahoma late Thursday, killing two of three people on board, authorities said. The helicopter was en route from Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City to a hospital about 90 miles away in Okeene when it went down about 8 p.m. near Kingfisher. UPDATE: Officials have identified those who died in the crash as 56 year old pilot Al Harrison of Edmond and 35 year old nurse Ryan Duke of Oklahoma City.


Construction Worker Dies in 7 Story Fall

July 22, ARLINGTON, VA - a 35 year old iron worker was installing a balcony railing in a room at the Arlington Court Suites when he fell five stories and crashed through a two-story glass atrium at the front of the building. The man, whose name was not released, died at the scene.


Illinois Grocer Shot Outside Store

July 21, ARCOLA, IL - 32 year old Mark Maggio was shot and killed, allegedly by his brother, Wednesday outside a Tolono grocery. Maggio operated the Arcola IGA Store. Several eyewitnesses told investigators that Mark Maggio had gone into the Tolono grocery and was talking to employees when Brian Maggio returned to the grocery he co-owned with his brother after making a bank deposit. The brothers argued, and Mark Maggio left the store. Brian followed with a .357-caliber pistol in his hand, officers said. Mark Maggio was shot in the right side of the back a few minutes after noon Wednesday. Brian Maggio, 42, of Savoy was charged with first-degree murder Thursday in Champaign County Circuit Court.


Ohio Trucker Dies in Crash

July 21, CLEAVLAND, OH - 43 year old Farrell Isom was killed when his tractor-trailer crashed shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday on Route 22 east of Armagh. Isom was westbound and hauling 37,000 pounds of bananas when his rig went off the roadway, struck guardrails and went over a 30-foot embankment, Chief Deputy Coroner Jeffrey Lees said. It is not clear why the experienced driver went off the roadway, he said.


Man Dies After Tractor Tire Falls on Him

July 21, MT VERNON, WA - a 56 year old man has died from injuries he suffered last Friday when a tractor tire fell on him while he worked at a Mount Vernon farm equipment company. Authorities have not released his identity.


Construction Worker Killed in Florida

July 21, NAPLES, FL - 50 year old John Robert Jans of Bokeelia, an employee of Arnold Brothers, Inc. trying to clear an auger, a rotating element comparable to a large drill bit, in a concrete truck Wednesday died when his legs were severed, reports show. The man was trapped in the concrete truck. As a deputy arrived, he saw Estero Fire Rescue members trying to remove the man. Once they did, they began life-saving techniques, but he died at the scene.


Farmer Knocked Down by Cow, Dies

July 21, MAHONING TWP, PA - 81 year old Carl Troxell, a longtime farmer, was killed in a mishap on his farm late this morning, according to police. They said Troxell was knocked over by a cow on the Troxell Farm. Police said he managed to stand up after the impact, but then collapsed. But Coroner Bruce A. Nalesnik said Troxell likely died from a heart condition that may have been triggered after he fell by either being struck by the cow or trying to avoid the cow.


Two Workers Found Dead in Home

July 21, FORT WAYNE, IN - 48 year old Thomas A. Burd and 55 year old Daniel L. Lang were found dead in a Fort Wayne home where they had been doing repair work, but it's still unclear how they died. Officials are awaiting the results of toxicology tests that may reveal the cause and manner of death for each man. Foul play is not suspected in their deaths. Police said the men had been hired by the home's owner to do repair work on the residence.


Mississippi Deputy Injured in Wreck Dies

July 20, VICKSBURG, MS - 38 year old Deputy David Lambert died Tuesday from injuries he received from a car crash. On June 24, Lambert was responding to a call for assistance when he was forced to swerve to avoid hitting another vehicle that came through the intersection he was passing, officials said. The cruiser hit the median, which caused it to roll. Lambert suffered severe head injuries along with a crushed hip and pelvis, broken shoulder and internal trauma, officials said.


Farmer Dies After Being Pinned Beneath Tractor

June 20, STAPLETON, NE - 79 year old Loren Dean Hanna was killed late Saturday evening when he was trapped underneath his tractor, according to a press release from the Logan County Sheriff's office. Hanna was apparently pulling a pull-a-long bush hog when the tractor overturned and caught fire. A 911 call came in about 9:32 p.m. to the Logan County Fire and Rescue. When the units from the Stapleton Fire Department and the Logan County Sheriff's office arrived, they found the tractor engulfed in flames.


Man Dies After Falling Out of Truck

July 20, NAPPANEE, IN - 42 year old Eddie Borkholder has died after a Tuesday morning accident in which he fell off a truck's tailgate at Newmar Corp. Witnesses told police the truck hit a bump and Borkholder fell off the tailgate, striking his head on the pavement. Police continue to investigation this accident.


Deary Man Killed in Tractor Accident

July 20, DEARY, ID - 71 year old Herbert Weatherford was operating a Kubota tractor up a steep hill on his property near Highway 8 when the tractor slid backwards and rolled up to four times. Weatherford was flown by Life Flight to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston where he died shortly after being admitted.


Security Officer Shot, Killed on Patrol

July 20, BAKERSFIELD, CA - 34 year old Francisco Flores, a security guard, was fatally shot at Mercado Latino Sunday evening. He had previously worked for the Kern County Sheriff’s Department and was remembered by shop owners as the best guard on the premises. Flores was shot several times by three or four Hispanic men at the restaurant and shopping complex on Edison Highway, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release.


Man Killed by Falling Tree

July 20, ATLANTA, GA - 71 year old Norris Therlow Goss of Dawsonville was killed instantly Tuesday when he was struck by a falling tree while clearing a lot in Forsyth County. Goss was a part of three-man crew working off Fouts Drive, Capt. Frank Huggins told the AJC. "They were clearing the lot, and the guy driving the Bobcat pushed a tree over on him," Huggins said. The 75-feet-tall pine tree hit the man in the head, and firefighters had to cut several tree branches to reach him, Forsyth County fire Capt. Jason Shivers said.


Young Pilot Killed Doing Job He Loved

July 20, MOUNT PLEASANT, SC - 29 year old Dustin Rabe of Los Gatos, CA described the love for his job, saying, "I am a commercial pilot and I just landed my first flying job!!! I work for an aircraft delivery company delivering single engine aircraft over the North Atlantic to Europe. Some say it is dangerous, but once you do it for the first time, the adrenaline is addicting." Rabe died Tuesday when the Comp Air 8 kit and experimental aircraft crashed in Mount Pleasant. Autopsy results show Rabe died of head trauma. The FFA are still investigating the accident.


Cab Driver Killed in Crash

July 20, INDIANAPOLIS, IN - 31 year old Gwendolyn Marie Sanders of Bedford was killed when the taxi she was driving was struck head on in a collision with another car. Police said it appears the other driver passed at least one vehicle on a double-yellow as it crested a hill, then struck Sanders’ southbound cab head-on.


Worker Drowns at Medical Office

July 20, PHOENIX, AZ - an unidentified employee of a kidney dialysis office died while cleaning a salt water tank. He was cleaning the tank that is used for patients, when he somehow fell into the tub. Firefighters say he may have had a medical condition or may have been electrocuted in the water. Police are investigation and has not released the victim's name.


Club Valet Killed, Caught in Crossfire

July 19, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - 42 year old Luis Camargo, a valet parking attendant, was killed after a shooting outside a West Hollywood nightclub early Monday morning. According to detectives, the shooting erupted at about 2:10 a.m. after an argument outside Guys & Dolls Lounge, a popular celebrity nightclub. "The suspect shot into the crowd, and we know at least the valet driver's an innocent victim," said Sutton. Tellez, a close friend of the victim, said Camargo was killed right in front of his wife and his 15-year-old son. "She was with him last night working with him. She couldn't believe that was happening to her," she said.


Ranch Worker Dies Trying to Shoot Squirrels

July 19, CHICO, CA - Joaquin Medina, a Chico ranch worker, died Monday when a branch apparently fell on his head after he shot at squirrels, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office. Medina was apparently shooting at squirrels and hit a large tree branch with a shotgun round. The branch apparently broke, deputies said, and hit Medina on the head, causing head trauma.


Cinema Workers Mourn Death of Fellow Employee

July 18, JOHNSTOWN,PA - 55 year old Leon Noel, a projectionist for Richland Cinema, suffered a heart attack and died Sunday. It was a somber mood at the Cinema Monday a day after his death. Employees told WJAC-TV they were shocked that Noel, who worked at the cinema for nearly 18 years, had passed away.


Two Dead in Construction Site Accident

July 16, WEST FRANKFORT, IL - two unidentified truck drivers died when Illinois State Police say they failed to stop at a line of vehicles at a construction site. A Police spokesperson says there were four vehicles stopped on U.S. 57 at West Frankfort when three trucks, a tractor trailer and two dump trucks, failed to stop. The three trucks were engulfed in flames and two of the drivers died. Illinois State Police continue to investigate.


Omnitrans Worker Killed is Remembered

May 7, FONTANA, CA - Family, friends and co-workers gathered July 22nd at the Omnitrans Fontana Transit Center to dedicate a memorial plaque to pay tribute to Lawrence Kester. Ashley Kester says her father was a 15 year veteran coach operator who was tragically killed by a passenger while on duty May 7th. "It also brings me some sort of happiness to see that he didn't die completely in vain, he will be remembered," says Kester.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Construction worker killed in Mat-Su cave-in

The Associated Press

Published: July 23rd, 2010 08:00 AM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A worker on a water project for the new Mat-Su Valley prison was killed in the cave-in of an old well.
KTUU-TV reports 45-year-old Steven Paul Ziegler of Palmer was operating a dirt compactor Thursday when the well's concrete casing gave way and he fell into a 20-foot void and was buried alive.

Other members of the Prosser-Dagg construction crew were unable to save him.

Alaska State Troopers says the body was recovered by rescuers using heavy equipment to remove the rubble.

The well was on a farm about a half mile from the Goose Creek Correctional Center.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/07/23/1378727/construction-worker-killed-in.html#ixzz0vebny1n3

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