The Weekly Toll
Tree trimmer electrocutedSpringfield, OH -- A tree trimming employee died Saturday morning when he touched a bucket lift truck that came into contact with a power line.
After an effort to revive him, Anthony R. Hacker, 24, of New Carlisle was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Clark County Sheriff's Office.
Construction worker is killed by backhoe while working in ditch
CHULA VISTA, CA – A construction worker at the site of a
future residential community was fatally injured yesterday when a backhoe struck him.
The county Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Alfredo Alvarez, 41, of San Diego. He worked for TC Construction in Santee.
Alvarez was working alone in a 6-foot-deep, 6-foot-wide and 9-foot-long ditch used for water lines when backhoe's bucket hit him, according to police reports. The backhoe then fell into the ditch, but not onto him.
Chula Vista police Sgt. David Eisenberg said the backhoe's operator accidentally swung the bucket into Alvarez's abdomen.
Fallen bridge worker 'not hooked in' to safety system
La Cross, WI -- Anthony Poterala, who died Monday in a fall from a bridge construction project in La Crosse, was buried with military rites Friday in his hometown of Tomahawk, Wis.
Poterala, 34, "was not hooked in" to the fall protection system workers are required to use, said Paul Nortman, superintendent of the project for Lunda Construction Co. "We don't know why he decided to unhook himself."
[Question: Will the readers of the La Cross Tribune ever learn why "he decided to unhook himself?"]
Co-workers say the ironworker who died after
falling from a bridge had unhooked his safety harness to move to another work area.
Worker Killed by Cement Truck
Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials still are investigating how a construction worker was killed by a cement truck Tuesday in Stevens Point as he replaced sidewalks.
"We have a rough idea of what happened, but we're still tying down loose ends to verify," said Mark Chasco, a team leader at OSHA's Appleton office.
Walter J. Novotny, 47, Auburndale died after a cement truck rapidly accelerated as it was being repositioned
Construction Worker Dies In Accident
A worker died in an accident at a construction site in Kansas City, Kan., Tuesday afternoon. Police identified the victim as Antonio Cruz-Castillo, 62.
The accident took place at 4349 North 122nd St., where a home was under construction. KMBC's Kris Ketz reported that a gable over the home's front door collapsed on top of the victim, who was working for a painting company at the site. Other workers pulled the structure off the man, but he died at the scene.
Roofing worker plunges to death
The death of a roofing company worker who fell 60 feet from a Dayton, Ky., building Tuesday is under investigation.
David Sturgeon, 33, of 811 Scott St. in Covington, died instantly after plunging from the roof of the Raymee Building at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Berry Street.
"He was throwing some debris off the roof and he apparently slipped. It's a very steep roof and I guess he lost his balance," Garnick said. "But he didn't have his safety harness on -- it was rigged up, but he didn't have it on."
Construction Worker Dies In Workplace Accident
Man Is Crushed Under Tire Of Machine03
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- A construction worker was killed in a workplace accident on Thursday.
Ivan Pippert, 76, died after he was run over by a piece of construction equipment called an earthmover. Pippert was a mechanic for Foley Construction, and he was at work on one of the company's sites in Lawrence when the accident occurred.
Boxcar kills train employee
A Burlington Northern Santa Fe employee was killed when he was run over by a boxcar early Wednesday at the company's Calwa Yard at 3901 E. Vine Ave., Fresno police reported.
Leana Kent, a company spokeswoman, identified the victim as Todd Mohler, 35, of Fresno, a freight train conductor who joined BNSF in June 2001.
Gillette man killed at Bel Ayr mine
GILLETTE, WY -- A Gillette man was killed in an accident at RAG Coal West's Bel Ayr coal mine about 20 miles south of Gillette on Tuesday, according to mine officials.
Brad Beavers, 36, an RAG mine employee, was killed when a tow strap broke as he and another miner attempted to use a pickup to get another pickup unstuck. Beavers was struck by the "tow hook," said Steven Laird, RAG manager of lands, legislative and public affairs.
Mount Vernon man killed by falling tree
A Mount Vernon, MS man was killed when a tree he was cutting down in St. Elmo fell on top of him Friday afternoon, according to the Mobile County Sheriff's Department.
Max Weaver, 45, was helping Chestang Tree Service clear a lot on Saucer Road
Small Town Struggles with Two Deaths
This western Ohio farm town and its 32-member volunteer fire department were struggling to carry on after two firefighters were killed Wednesday in the blast at a lumber company that injured nine other people. ``We're hurting. We're overwhelmed,'' said Schnelle, adding that Garman once went two straight years without missing a single fire run.
Kenneth Jutte, 44, was atop a silo for wood shavings at Hoge Lumber Co. in nearby New Knoxville and Garman, 40, was in an aerial basket when the smoldering scrap exploded, blowing the top off the concrete structure and throwing them to the ground.
Driver's body found in water
TACOMA -- A 61-year-old Edgewood man died Monday when his front-end loader toppled into the water at the Simpson Tacoma Kraft Co. mill.
Robert G. "Gary" Hueneka apparently was in the 20-deep water of Commencement Bay for an hour or more before his absence was noticed and Tacoma Fire Department divers were called.
Roof collapse kills 1, hurts 2
Cape Coral, FL -- A collapsing roof killed a construction worker Thursday while he worked on a Cape Coral church’s basketball pavilion, police and witnesses said.
Richard Scott Erling, 37, of Cape Coral died on the scene at First Baptist Church. A blue sheet covered the carpenter’s body in front of the building’s metal, open-air framework Thursday afternoon.