How workers died last week: Machinery, drowning, crushed, stabbing, shooting, vehicle incidents. On average, over 100 workers are killed every week in the United States due to traumatic injuries suffered at work. More than 20 times as many die from occupational diseases, many due to exposure to hazardous substances many years before they died. The few narratives below (gathered from almost 100 Google News searches) do not come close to capturing the full toll that work takes on the working people of this country. Nevertheless the accounts below gave you a taste of the preventable carnage occurring in workplaces across the country every day.
Dilapidated barn collapses near Waterloo, killing one worker and injuring another
Waterloo, IA — A barn north of Waterloo partially collapsed and caught fire on Saturday morning as three workers were tearing it down. One of them died. Monroe County coroner’s office One man was killed and another injured when a barn partially collapsed and caught fire north of Waterloo on Saturday morning. The barn was located off Country Club Lane at Rogers Street, near Waterloo Country Club, according to Monroe County Coroner Bob Hill.
Man dies in water tank as co-workers try to free him from suction tub
Blair, WI — A Wisconsin man is dead after getting trapped inside of a water tank, officials say. The man, who has not been publicly identified, was cleaning out sediment inside the City of Blair water tank on the afternoon of March 23, the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Deputies responded to a call for help at 5:18 p.m. for a man stuck inside the tank, the sheriff’s office said. According to deputies, the worker entered the tank wearing scuba gear and a wetsuit. Despite complaining of “getting cold,” he continued clearing debris from the tank until he seemingly “entered into a hypothermic state and lost hand mobility and strength,” deputies said. Two co-workers tried to get him out, but he became “tangled” up in a 90-foot suction tube, and they couldn’t pull him free, the sheriff’s office said. “Once first responders and law enforcement arrived on the scene, the subject was approximately 6 ft under the surface of the water, motionless,” the sheriff’s office said. Authorities were eventually able to lift the man out of the tank and attempt life-saving measures, but he couldn’t be resuscitated.
1 construction worker dead, 2 taken to hospital after being hit by vehicle on I-35 in Kay County
KAY COUNTY, Okla. — Authorities say a construction worker died after a vehicle struck three workers Monday morning on Interstate 35 in northern Oklahoma. Oklahoma Highway Patrol officials say a vehicle hit the three construction workers in the southbound lanes of I-35 at mile marker 216 near Tonkawa in Kay County. One of the workers has died, and the other two were taken to a hospital in unknown conditions. They were contract workers who did not work for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Information about the victims has not been released.
Driver dies after logging truck veers into pond in The Forks
THE FORKS, ME — The driver of a logging truck was killed in a crash Thursday morning when his tractor-trailer veered off U.S. Route 201 and into a pond in The Forks, officials said. Rescue workers were called to Martin Pond, near the Northern Outdoors resort, after the crash occurred at about 4 a.m., according to Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s a fatal crash,” Mitchell said. “This is a tractor-trailer truck with logs on it and it’s upside-down, so logs are spilled all over the water, and you could see part of the truck sticking up out of the water.” The 1994 Kenworth tractor-trailer that Pierre Alexander Drolet, 35, of Saint-Zacharie, Quebec, was driving when he crashed Thursday morning into Martin Pond in The Forks. Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office says rescue workers were searching Thursday for Drolet’s body. Officials say they believe Drolet was alone inside the truck when the crash occurred. Somerset County Sheriff’s Office photo
Crossing guard dies after being hit by car outside Fort Mill school, police say
FORT MILL, S.C. — A crossing guard has died after being hit by a car outside of a South Carolina elementary and middle school complex, police said. Investigators are still deciding if charges will be filed against the driver. It happened late Thursday afternoon on Springfield Parkway outside of Fort Mill Elementary and Fort Mill Middle schools. The guard, identified as 61-year-old Stanley Brucker, was taken to the hospital where he later died. Authorities said Brucker was working as a crossing guard at the entrance and exit to Fort Mill Elementary School when he was hit.
Worker killed by falling tree in north Forsyth County, OSHA investigating
Forsyth County, GA — An employee at a tree-cutting company was killed when a tree fell on him earlier this week, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. OSHA is investigating the death of a tree-cutter this week who was reportedly crushed by a tree measuring more than 30 feet tall.
Man dies after becoming pinned between boiler and mini-excavator in Montcalm Co. accident
MONTCALM COUNTY, Mich. — A man was killed Thursday in an industrial accident in Montcalm County. Deputies said it happened around 8:30 p.m. during renovations at the former Edmore Hospital. Crews were working to remove scrap metal from the site when a 22-year-old man was accidentally pinned between a mini-excavator and a boiler that was being removed. He died from his injuries, deputies said. The investigation into this incident is ongoing. Foul play is not suspected at this time.
Construction worker dies after falling into 20-foot shaft in Orange County
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A worker at a construction site died after falling it a 20-foot shaft on Wednesday. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a construction site in the area of Central Florida Parkway and Palm Parkway at noon in response to a man-down call. Orange County Fire Rescue said they were able to access the person who fell, but deputies said he died later at the hospital. OCSO said they think the worker was struck by something and added they have no reason to believe there was foul play involved. This incident is still under investigation, deputies said. OSHA confirmed they opened an inspection after the incident.
Somerset woman killed in Russell County workplace accident
Russell County, KY — Russell County news outlets are reporting the death of a Somerset women in an industrial accident. News media are quoting Russell County Coroner Mark Coots as saying that 33-year-old Maria Silvia Guzman Dominquez was killed after she became entangled in a machine she was working on at Davis Gate and Wire. The manufacturing company is located on North Ky. 127. Coots stated that the Russell County Coroner’s Office was called to that location around 12:35 p.m. Wednesday. Dominquez was pronounced dead on the scene. The coroner said, “Ms. Dominguez will be taken to Frankfort for further examination and identification of injuries received. The coroner’s office, as well as the Office of Occupational Safety and Health, will be continuing their investigation.”
Columbus man dies in workplace forklift accident in Troup County, coroner’s office says
Troup County, GA — A Columbus man is dead following a workplace accident Wednesday night at the Hyundai Mobis plant in Troup County, according to officials. Keith Wheeler, 62, was transported to the Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange where he was pronounced dead at 11:56 p.m. ,Wednesday, according to Amy Shepherd with the Troup County Coroner’s office. Wheeler was operating a standing forklift when the accident occurred, according to Shepherd.
Greenville man dies after being crushed by 2,000-pound piece of metal at Easley company
Easley, SC — A Greenville man was crushed by a 2000-pound piece of metal at his place of work Monday, according to a release sent by the Pickens County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday afternoon. The coroner’s office identified Dillon Saint Jean-Schultz, 31, as the man who died at NuLife Municipal Truck Center at 2266 Powdersville Road in Easley at approximately 10 a.m. Monday. Jean-Schultz was declared dead on scene. An autopsy is scheduled for a later date, the coroner’s office said.
Taxi driver dead after single-car crash in Boston
BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) – A taxi driver is dead after a car crash on Soldiers Field Road in Boston on Saturday. According to the Massachusetts State Police, troopers and Boston firefighters were called to a single-vehicle crash off Soldiers Field Road at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. After a preliminary investigation, it was discovered that a Toyota Camry, which was being used as a taxi, was driving west on Soldiers Field Road when the driver lost control of the car, went off the road, and hit a tree on the grassy shoulder. The taxi driver, a 68-year-old Lynn man, was taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston where he died. The passenger, a 24-year-old woman from Cambridge, was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston for her injuries. The name of the taxi driver is not being released at this time.
18-year-old Walmart worker killed in stabbing at Illinois store
Rockford, IL — A stabbing at a Walmart in Illinois left an 18-year-old employee dead, police say. The worker was stabbed in his back around 6:05 p.m. Sunday, March 24, at a Walmart store in Rockford, according to the Rockford Police Department. The employee, who had not been identified as of early Monday, March 25, died after being taken to a hospital, police said. It’s unclear what led to the stabbing, but officers arrested 28-year-old Timothy Carter. He was charged with first-degree murder, according to police. Officers did not state the relationship between Carter and the victim.
35-year-old truck driver killed in massive pileup on I-80 in Clarion County, Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH, PA — New details have emerged surrounding the deadly massive tractor-trailer pileup crash on Interstate 80 in Clarion County earlier this week. The Clarion County Coroner’s Office has confirmed to KDKA-TV that a 35-year-old truck driver from Queens, New York, Joga Singh, was killed in the accident. was the one person killed in the crash. The coroner’s office says that Singh was ejected from his truck and died at the scene. The Emlenton Fire Department says that more than 20 vehicles were involved in the crash and that consisted of both trucks and passenger vehicles.
Alaska-based airman killed in workplace accident
Anchorage, AK — Staff Sgt. Charles Crumlett, seen here in 2018, died March 15 in a workplace accident at Joint Base Elmendorf-Randolph. An airman assigned to the 90th Fighter Generation Squadron died after being injured in a workplace accident Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Staff Sgt. Charles Crumlett, 25, of Streamwood, Illinois, died around noon local time Friday, while working on an F-22 Raptor, the Air Force said. Crumlett, who died at the scene, served as a weapons load crew chief and had previously worked on F-15 Strike Eagles and the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
Raleigh County BOE employee found dead in vehicle at Beckley Elementary
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) – An employee of the Raleigh County Board of Education was found dead in a vehicle in Beckley Elementary School’s parking lot, according to Deputy Chief of Police David Allard with the Beckley Police Department. Allard said the deceased was discovered by another employee at around 1 p.m. today, March 18. Beckley Elementary or Beckley Stratton Middle School were placed on “soft lockdown” due to this incident, but Allard said that neither school’s students or staff were in danger. Allard said that the exact cause and manner of death is under investigation by the Beckley Police Department.
Security guard shot, killed by suspected car burglars at South Nashville bar
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A security guard at a bar and lounge in South Nashville, who came across suspected car burglars, was shot and killed. The deadly shooting took place outside the Illuzion Bar and Lounge located at 2510 Murfreesboro Pike, around 2 a.m. Sunday. Metro Nashville Police said the victim, 33-year-old Maurice Thomas, Jr., died at the hospital. Illuzion Bar and Lounge at 2510 Murfreesboro Pike Police said the investigation shows that multiple shots were fired when Thomas encountered the suspected burglars while patrolling the parking lot. It is not known yet if any of the shots were fired from his gun. Three burglarized vehicles were discovered by police at the scene. They are being processed for evidence.
The post Weekly Toll: Crushed, Fell, Drowned, Stabbed, Shot Entangled in Machinery, appeared first on Confined Space.
