Monday, September 13, 2004

Weekly Toll

BF Goodrich Worker Dies From Burn Injuries

OPELIKA, Ala. -- A 43-year-old worker injured in an electrical accident at the BF Goodrich Tire plant in Opelika has died.

A company spokesman said plant electrician Lawrence Cochran died Saturday, four days after the accident.

He suffered a high-voltage shock during an inspection of an electrical box. In a statement, Jim Micali, president of Michelin North America, Incorporated, said the "tragic loss touches us all." He said Cochran had more than 20 years at the plant.


Four Dead in Head-On Collision

Four people died Friday morning in a head-on collision on notorious Vasco Road in Contra Costa County.

The California Highway Patrol says 23-year-old Kevin Lujan was speeding in a Camero and cutting through traffic before he crossed the double yellow lines and collided head-on with a pickup truck. The truck held five workers with Valley Crest Landscaping, who were on their way to a job site in Discovery Bay. Four of the workers died at the scene. The fifth was airlifted to John Muir Medical Center. Lujan was rushed to Eden in Castro Valley.


Urbana man’s fall brings in OSHA

The Ohio Bureau of Occupational Safety & Health is investigating the death of an Urbana construction worker who died from injuries suffered in a fall at the Ohio Air National Guard Base in Springfield on Aug. 30.

Patrick Joseph Donohoe, 27, of Urbana, died Sept. 3 in Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, where he had been treated for multiple head injuries. Donohoe was employed by Kenny Huston Masonry Co. of Columbus, a subcontractor to QBS Contruction Co.

Donohoe, who had worked for the masonry company a few months, apparently fell from a scaffold during construction of a new fire station at the base.


Gas Station Worker Killed In Robbery

Miami -- An employee was shot and killed Friday during the robbery of a gas station at 695 NW 95th St., police said.

Miami-Dade homicide detectives say they have a videotape of the crime, committed by two men between ages 18 and 25 at 11:45 a.m.

Police say the men repeatedly shot Abdul Razaq, 53, before fleeing with an undetermined amount of cash.


Three-story fall kills construction worker


DULUTH — A construction worker died Friday after he fell off the roof of a three-story condominium. Authorities said Otis McDaniel, 63, was working in the Villages at Huntcrest subdivision off Bellafonte Avenue and North Brown Road when he tumbled to the ground. McDaniel was deceased when firefighters arrived, according to Tommy Rutledge, spokesman for the Gwinnett Fire Department.


Worker dies in trench collapse in Brooklyn

NEW YORK -- A worker was killed when the walls of a trench collapsed at a construction site in Brooklyn, authorities said.

The worker was pronounced dead at St. Mary's Hospital after the accident at 1355 St. Marks Avenue in Brownsville at about 1 p.m. Thursday, police said. Published reports identified him as Luis Mina and said he was alone in the trench at the time and was buried in dirt when the trench collapsed.


Vehicle accident kills ironworker

City of Pewaukee, WI - An ironworker was killed Thursday morning when a vehicle used in construction rolled over him, police said.

Scott G. Heilert, 36, of Waterford, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician with Flight for Life, Police Chief Gary Bach said. Flight for Life was called to the scene but didn't transport Heilert to a hospital.

According to Bach, Heilert was cutting steel rods at a construction site about 9:30 a.m. when a vehicle that was backing up rolled over him. Parts of the machine could block a driver's view when looking to the rear of the vehicle, he said.


Falling limb kills worker on team restoring power

BRANDON, FL - A longtime Tampa Electric Co. worker was killed by a falling tree branch Thursday morning at a cleanup site in Brandon.

William Glenn Poole, 53, died while guiding an out-of-state crew in removing trees from power lines so electricity could be fully restored to homes on S Echo Drive, near Kings Avenue between Lumsden Road and Bloomingdale Avenue.


Worker Electrocuted While Inspecting Utility Poles

HELENA, Ala. -- A Chilton County man was electrocuted while inspecting and testing utility poles that hold power lines. The Shelby County Coroner's office said the accident happened yesterday morning at about 8:30 a.m. in Helena.

The victim was identified as John Russell Woods, 37, of Clanton. Witnesses said Woods was putting a plastic cover over a guide wire that was apparently loose or had slack when it came into contact with a high voltage line.

Woods, who was standing on the ground at the time of the accident, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said Woods was part of a four-person crew employed by Osmose Corporation, based in Buffalo, New York.


Construction Worker Dies in Fall

Washington (AP) - A construction worker tumbled 50 feet to his death at Blue Plains this afternoon. D.C. Fire Department and EMS spokesman Alan Etter says the man fell off the roof of a building that's under renovation. He landed on concrete in the basement. Rescuers used a crane that was already on site to get to the man, who died at a hospital.


Worker burned in Cecil accident in serious condition

A worker at Miller Centrifugal Casting, Cecil Township, who was burned in an industrial accident last week was in serious condition Tuesday in Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Royce Kotouch, 34, of Burgettstown, was injured when molten bronze spun from a 90-inch casting machine. Also hurt but treated and released from Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, was company president Ian Sadler, 53, of McMurray.


Airport employee dies in runway accident

RACINE - A veteran employee of Batten International Airport was killed early Wednesday morning when his car apparently left the airport runway and landed below the hill near some railroad tracks. Racine police found Lenny Peterson, 49, inside the car, dead. Peterson had worked at the airport for about 25 years, said airport manager David Mann.


Contractor at Boone County mine electrocuted

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A contractor electrocuted at a surface mine near Julian in Boone County was West Virginia's eighth coal-mining death this year.

Michael J. Copley, 37, died Aug. 30, a day after the accident at Arch Coal Inc.'s Hobet 21 mine. An employee of Williams Electric Co. of Salt Rock, Copley was trying to repair a high-voltage line when he was electrocuted and fell from a pole, according to a preliminary report from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration and the state Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training.

The company was fined $672 after company President Stephen Williams was killed in a February 2000 accident at Day Mining Inc. in Kanawha County, according to MSHA records.


Man Dies After Lawn Mower Accident

Harrisburg, PA -- A Lebanon County man who was injured in a lawn mower accident last week has died. Frank Shutter, 66, died at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Shutter was on his riding mower when it went down an embankment at the Lebanon Valley Golf Course and struck a tree.


Industrial worker dies in machine accident

Pasadena, MD -- A Pasadena industrial worker was killed yesterday morning when his clothes became caught in a machine that he was operating, Anne Arundel County police said yesterday.
David M. Desrosiers, 47, was working with a drilling machine at Gischel Machine Co. on Energy Parkway about 8:15 a.m. when portions of his shirt and pants became stuck in the equipment's moving parts.

Before the machine could be shut down by another worker, Desrosiers suffered fatal injuries to his midsection, according to a news release issued shortly after the accident. County police and the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health agency are investigating.


Worker dies when semi runs over him

SAN ANTONIO -- A 19-year-old employee of Conn's Appliances on Commerce Street was killed Tuesday morning when a tractor-trailer rig that was leaving the store's rear parking lot ran over him. The employee, whose identity has not been released, had opened a gate to allow the truck to leave, according to the police report. Abel TreviƱo, 26, the driver of the tractor-trailer, told police he "felt a small bump." It wasn't until he backed up that he saw the man lying on the ground, the police report states.


Suspect jailed in bank slaying

Sue Ellen Gelsinger had survived triple heart-bypass surgery and was feeling good. A divorcee with a grown daughter, she had just started a new bank job. She was excited about decorating her new condo. She had purchased all-new furniture, which was still in boxes in her living room. Her life was so full, she hadn't had time to unpack.

"She was starting over," longtime friend Ann Tucker said. "I had never seen her happier."The 55-year-old Orlando woman's new beginning ended tragically Tuesday when a man trying to rob her bank shot her in the head. The gunman ran out -- without a cent -- after killing Gelsinger.



Newton county officer killed by power line

NEWTON COUNTY -- The Newton County Sheriff's Department this week is mourning the death of its first officer killed in the line of duty.

"It's really sad here," said a dispatcher on Tuesday morning. "Everyone who knew Craig is just sad."

Deputy Craig Blann, 27, of Morocco, was electrocuted by downed power lines on Monday morning while investigating a single-vehicle crash in rural Washington Township, between Kentland and Morocco.


Veteran Kansas City, Missouri Captain Killed in Pumper Accident

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A veteran Kansas City firefighter was killed and four others were injured, when a pumper truck collided with two cars and then slammed into a tree while answering a call.
Acting Captain Gerald McGowan, 57, was normally a fire apparatus operator but was filling in as a captain when he was killed Sunday night. He had served with the department for 32 years and had told his wife he was planning to retire at the end of the year, said Chief Richard Dyer.


Injured BP worker dies at hospital

TEXAS CITY — One BP Amoco worker severely burned in an accident last week has died and two others remain in a burn unit at a Galveston hospital. Leonard Moore died at about 8 p.m. Friday while in the Blocker Burn Unit at University of Texas Medical Branch. Ray Gonzalez remained in critical condition Saturday, while Robert Kemp was listed as serious.

The three were injured Thursday afternoon while working on a water line in the Texas City refinery. The pipe carried hot water and the men were burned by steam. The men suffered burns to 90 percent, 70 percent and 40 percent of their bodies and were transported to UTMB.


Social worker's death shows flawed system, husband says

LENEXA, KS - Matt Zenner was never convinced. His wife, a social worker, said not to worry about her frequent visits to clients' homes, but he did.

"It just never sat well with me," he said.

His worst fears were confirmed Aug. 17, when Teri Zenner, 26, was stabbed to death while visiting a 17-year-old client, Andrew Ellmaker, at his home. Ellmaker has been charged with her death.

Zenner's slaying validated her husband's concerns and those of many of the 320,000 licensed social workers nationwide who frequently venture into the homes of clients in hopes of getting lives back on track.



OSHA investigating oilfield death

UPTON COUNTY, TX — OSHA investigators were at a drilling site Thursday in northern Upton County, looking into the death of a 28-year-old Midland man.

“The purpose of the investigation is to find out what injured or killed a worker and prevent that from happening again,” Rich Tapio said. Tapio is the area director for the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration.“

Also we want to find out if the employer and if the employees were following proper procedures,” he said. Cody Jobe Hall, 28, of Midland, was electrocuted Wednesday night while picking up trash around a drilling site owned by Big Dog Drilling Co. of Midland, Upton County
Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Ramirez said.“He touched a mobile home trailer, and he got electrocuted,” Ramirez said.


Menlo Park woman killed by grader

The Napa County Sheriff's Department said a 39-year-old Menlo Park woman was killed when she was run over Friday morning by a grader in the 200 block of Tower Road near state Highway 29.

Capt. Mike Loughran said Tri-County Construction was grading the site when a female site grader was run over. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name has not been released, Loughran said.

American Canyon Fire Chief Keith Caldwell said CPR was already in progress when fire crews arrived at the accident scene at 10:50 a.m.

Caldwell said the woman may have been bending over and the man operating the grader apparently did not see her as he was backing up. Cal-OSHA was notified of the accident, Caldwell said.


City employee, accident victim dies Thursday

BULLHEAD CITY, AZ -- One of the Bullhead City Public Works employees who was severely burned Tuesday while repairing a steel street light died Thursday from injuries suffered during the accident.

Greg Williams died at about 8 a.m. at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. He was 23.



Wreck causes 18-hour I-85 jam

Montgomery, AL -- An early-morning accident on Interstate 85 North killed a Baton Rouge, La., truck driver and caused an 18-hour, 10-mile traffic jam as crews cleaned up titanium dioxide that spilled from his truck.

Vernell Brian Morris, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene, located around mile marker 23 between the Shorter and Tallassee exits, Alabama State Trooper Paul Mashburn said. Morris was northbound on I-85 about 3:25 a.m. when, for an unknown reason, he veered onto the median, causing his tractor-trailer to overturn.


Gas station employee slain at Ann Arbor intersection

A gas station employee was shot to death Friday in an intersection apparently during a robbery, setting off a two-vehicle crash that injured one woman, police said.

Chief Daniel Oates told The Ann Arbor News that police received a 911 call about 6 a.m. EDT from someone reporting shots fired and a man lying in a street. A driver apparently frightened by the shooting sparked the crash.

The name of the shooting victim wasn't immediately released. Oates said the slaying appeared to stem from a robbery, but the investigation was ongoing as police searched for at least one suspect.


Worker Dies While Doing Home Repairs

SOMERVILLE, Mass. -- A man sanding floors at a home died in a fire that officials suspect was started by a highly flammable sealer that he and other workers were using.

The fire broke out at about 12:45 p.m Thursday in a three-story building on Foskett Street, said Mark Horan of the Somerville mayor's office.

Horan said a second worker was badly burned and was transported to Massachusetts General
Hospital. Two other workers who were sanding floors were also injured and taken to MGH.
Horan said the workers were using a highly flammable sealer.

The identities of the victims were not immediately released.


Worker Dies Of Injuries From Fall Off Scaffold

A construction worker at a downtown apartment building who fell 30 feet when a scaffolding gave way has died, a nursing supervisor said Thursday.

Jose Soul Garcia died Wednesday night after being taken to Sparks Regional Medical Center following a fall that afternoon.

Fort Smith firefighters responded to a call at 1:47 p.m. at the construction site for West End Lofts between North Second and Third streets and found Garcia and Melvin Antonio Gonzales lying on the ground. The two men were employed by a subcontractor of ERC Properties Inc.


Second NAEC worker diesSharon Miller

A second North Arkansas Electric Cooperative worker has died from injuries suffered in an explosion at an electric substation on Highway 201 North Tuesday afternoon.

Ivey Hodge, 59, of Mountain Home, District 1, Baxter County construction superintendent died between 4 and 5 a.m. today at the St. John's Medical Center Burn Unit, according to NAEC CEO Mel Coleman. Desi Jones, 41, of Mountain Home died about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Coleman said Jessie Zimmer, 27, of Mountain Home remained in critical condition this morning, and health care officials were planning to take him into surgery. Chris Hickman, 26, of Mountain Home, who has been listed in serious condition, seems to be improving and the outlook for him is good, Coleman said.



Volusia County poll worker dies in primary election night crash

DELAND, Fla. - A Volusia County poll worker died when his vehicle and another SUV collided as he was driving ballots to the county elections office, officials said.

James Crenshaw, 61, of Lake Helen, died as he was being airlifted to the Halifax Medical Center, said Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Deanie Lowe.

Crenshaw and his wife were driving to the elections office Wednesday when their sport utility vehicle was struck on the driver's side by another SUV, witnesses said.


Painters who fell from tower identified

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Authorities have released the names of three South Dakota men who fell while painting a water tower in Marshall, Minn.

David Karst of Sisseton, S.D., died at the scene Monday after falling at least 120 feet.
Joseph Kaderabek of Bridgewater, S.D., was in serious condition at a Sioux Falls hospital on Wednesday. Christopher Duerksen, also of Bridgewater, was treated and released. The three worked for Maguire Iron of Sioux Falls.


Second Yellow Cab driver found slain

CLEARWATER, FL - Detectives are investigating the slaying of a taxicab driver found dead in an Eckerd parking lot Wednesday morning.

Pinellas County sheriff's deputies responded to an anonymous 911 call around 7:15 a.m. at the parking lot of the Eckerd Drug Store at 1605 S Missouri Ave.

There, investigators found Eric J. Stanton, 26, dead in the front seat of the cab he had been driving for about three months. Stanton of Dunedin was an independent contractor for the Yellow Cab company.

The nature of Stanton's wounds led homicide detectives to determine that his death was a homicide, according to a Sheriff's Office statement. But Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Tim Goodman said detectives still are investigating the cause of death and awaiting autopsy results from the Medical Examiner's Office.

Stanton's death comes two weeks after another independent contractor for Yellow Cab was found dead in his Tarpon Springs home. Safa Gul, 50, was shot twice in the back of the head on Aug. 18, according to family members.

Thirty-seven cab drivers died on the job in 2002, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And 73 percent of those fatalities were the result of assault or violent acts.


Scraper kills highway worker

WORLAND WY -- A highway worker was killed and another critically injured by a grade scraper. The accident happened around 9:45 a.m. Monday on U.S. 16 between Worland and Ten Sleep, the Northern Wyoming Daily News reports.

John Edward Boltz, 30, of Ten Sleep, was killed when a large, earth-moving machine ran him over, according to Wyoming Department of Transportation spokesman Cody Beers.


Man dies after being trapped under load of animal feed

A 44-year-old feed-store worker died Tuesday morning after being trapped under 24 tons of animal feed late Monday. Randy Decker of Winthrop died at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt. following the accident at Collins Feed in Malone, 153 miles north of Albany.

Decker was trying to unload about 24 tons of roasted soy from a truck when the rope that releases the feed got tangled in the truck's rear tires while the vehicle's box was raised. Scott Collins, the feed store's owner, said the four pins holding the truck's payload door in place broke off while Decker was standing behind the truck. The weight of the feed severely restricted decker's breathing for 15 to 20 minutes, state police said.


Man dies of injuries from Ferris plant blast

DALLAS -- An employee of a North Texas aircraft parts refurbishing company has died from injuries he received in a fire and chemical explosion at the plant in Ferris. John Powers, 43, died Sunday at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, a hospital spokeswoman said in Tuesday's edition of The Dallas Morning News. The Wilmer father of four children ages 17 and younger had been in critical condition since the explosion Thursday at C&G Aircraft.

Investigations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency are under way. The cause of the blast had not been determined. Officials originally suspected that the explosion happened when the chemical sodium cyanide mixed with an acid. But Steve Mounce, a consultant and environmental chemist for C&G Aircraft, said that a single 50-pound bag of ammonium nitrate pellets was involved in the explosion. He said the pellets did not mix with any other chemicals.


Unicast worker dies in accident

BOYERTOWN, NJ -- An employee of the Unicast Co. died at work Tuesday morning after being crushed in a machine. Richard Michael, 52, of Coplay, Lehigh County, was killed in the industrial accident around 7 a.m. Tuesday.

"We are deeply saddened by today’s events," Unicast President and CEO Daniel Schultz said in a statement released by the company. "The Unicast family and Richard’s family suffered a great loss."Unicast officials would not release specific details about the incident, but said the company’s management team is still investigating what happened.


Falling tree kills Yuba County man

Sacramento, CA-- A 36-year-old man died Tuesday when a tree fell on him in a section of Placer County east of Nyack.

The Yuba County resident was killed instantly when a tree being dragged as part of a logging operation struck another tree that fell on the man, Sgt. Brian Whigam of the Placer County Sheriff's Department said.


Construction worker electrocuted

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A construction worker died Tuesday afternoon after getting electrocuted on the job in northeast Charlotte.


Accident kills county worker

A Mobile County employee was killed and an Alabama Power Co. employee injured Monday afternoon when the sport-utility vehicles they were driving collided on Alabama 193 just north of the Dauphin Island high-rise bridge, Alabama State Troopers said.

Mobile County spokeswoman Barbara Drummond identified Kenny Mills, 51, of Dauphin Island as the county worker killed in the crash.

She said Mills was an air conditioner and electrical system inspector and had been with the county for 22 years. He inspected systems in both commercial and residential buildings and Dauphin Island was within his coverage area, Drummond said. According to the troopers' accident report Mills is from Mobile.