Monday, July 18, 2005

Weekly Toll

Another couple of weeks of life and death in the American workplace. "Highlights" this time include at least four women killed and three workers die of heat stroke.

Flint police officer killed when cruisers collide during chase

BURTON, Mich. (AP) -- Two police cruisers collided during a chase Saturday, killing a Flint police officer who had been with the force four months and seriously injuring three other officers, police said

The officer who died was identified as Owen Fisher, 24, a Flint native. He could have worked anywhere in the state but wanted to be a police officer in his hometown, colleagues told The Flint Journal.


Worker killed at Stone Mountain

STONE MOUNTAIN - A 63-year-old Stone Mountain Park employee was shot and killed Saturday morning following an attempted robbery.

Anita Redmon, a gate attendant at the park, had worked at Stone Mountain since April. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for her death.

Stone Mountain Park Police and Fire Chief Chuck Kelley said Redmon was working alone at the park's West Gate when she called in a signal 44, an armed robbery, at 12:30 a.m. Police were one-third of a mile away and arrived in one minute, he said. Redmon was pronounced dead upon arrival at the DeKalb Medical Center.


Worker dies at Tumwater sawmill

TUMWATER, Wash. (AP) - A sawmill worker was fatally injured here Friday and state labor officials were investigating.

The victim was not immediately identified, said state Department of Labor and Industries spokeswoman Elaine Fischer.

The mill is owned by TreeSource Industries Inc., Fischer said, adding, "We can't comment at all on what we're seeing at the investigation scene."


Memorial ride honors killed Montville officer

MONTVILLE--Hundreds of bikes are expected to gather Sunday for a memorial ride honoring a Montville police officer killed in the line of duty.

The Montville-based New London Motorcycle Club is hosting a memorial ride for Officer Joseph Sachatello III.

Sachatello, 33, died on the night of Jan. 23, 2003, when he lost control of his police cruiser and crashed while responding to an accident.


Worker dies after falling

A 39-year-old Granbury man, father of three, died at a Metroplex hospital Wednesday, after falling 25 feet from scaffolding at the old Higginbotham’s Lumber. A 34-year-old Granbury man also fell. He was treated at an area hospital Wednesday morning.

Freddy Garcia was CareFlited to a Metroplex hospital and died a short time later. Bobby Gentry was treated at Lake Granbury Medical Center. His condition is unknown.

According to the police report, the men were standing on extension ladders placed on top of scaffolding.


Worker helping paint bridge is killed in fall

Louisville, KY -- For the Mendez brothers, bridge painting is not just a job -- it's a way to earn a better life than what they knew in Mexico.

The four brothers were willing to work at dangerous heights, amid the rumble of speeding traffic, while cleaning and painting bridges and roads for Eagle Painting and Maintenance Co.

At 7:45 yesterday morning, Jamie Antonio Mendez -- a husband and father of three -- was helping paint the Kennedy Bridge when he fell 50 feet to the ground near the Ohio River and died.

Mendez was wearing his safety harness, said David Hatherill, project manager for Atlantic Painting Co., the general contractor. There were no problems with the safety devices on the job, he said.

"We had the right safety equipment and everything," said Tasso Barris, a foreman for Eagle Painting. No one witnessed the fall," Hatherill said. "No one knows what happened."

More here.


Farm worker dies from extreme heat

BAKERSFIELD, CA - The triple digit heat in the Central Valley claimed its first life Wednesday when a farm worker died from heat exposure.

The United Farm Workers Union said the man was just doing a typical shift in a pepper field when the heat just became too much for him.

His name is being withheld since he has no family in the United States, and authorities are trying to contact his family.

The UFW is looking into the case and said the 42-year-old man had just started doing contract farm work at a pepper farm near Wheeler Ridge and Legray Road near the community of Mettler.

A coworker told the UFW the man got sick Wednesday around 3 p.m. and died about an hour later at Mercy Hospital.


Paper machine worker killed at plant

Rome, GA -- A man who worked at a Rome paper mill was killed on the job Sunday, apparently after being dragged into a machine. Kevin Ross Green, 49, was found dead at about 6 a.m. by co-workers at the Temple-Inland linerboard mill, where he'd worked for 30 years. Green was killed by the mill's No. 2 paper machine. Tony Cooper, chief deputy coroner, said Green was likely trying to repair a rope on a pulley and was dragged into the machine's large, heavy rollers. "It appears he was trying to replace one of the ropes when he became entangled in the rope, and was pulled through the rollers," Cooper said.


Fiery three-truck crash leaves Azle man dead

GRAPEVINE, TX - A 37-year-old Azle man was killed Tuesday when an tractor-trailer plowed into him and his truck on the westbound Texas 114 service road and burst into flames, police said.

Tommie Cornwell, an asphalt truck driver, was talking to Tommy Smith, 54, of Fort Worth, another asphalt truck driver, while standing on the running board of Smith's truck. The pair were waiting to be called to dump their loads on the service road, about 200 yards from Main Street, for a repaving operation.

About 8:22 a.m., a truck driven by Johnny Gutierrez, 45, of Grand Prairie careened down the service road, clipped Smith's truck and struck Cornwell's truck, pinning Cornwell between the three trucks, police Sgt. Todd Dearing said.


Gunman bursts into store, kills grocer

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- A grocer was shot to death by a man who cursed as he entered her store and then fired a single shot through protective plexiglass as she ran, police and family said.

Chieu Ha Do of Gretna didn't reach the kitchen where her husband, Nghia Huu Do, was working. He found her collapsed on the floor after the midday shooting on Tuesday.

The gunman escaped. Nothing was stolen, and police said they had not determined whether robbery was the motive.


Bus driver killed after his bus rolled over him


SAN ANTONIO, TX- A bus driver who had stopped at a convenience store for a cup of coffee was killed when he fell under the bus after he saw it moving and tried to stop it.

A spokeswoman for VIA Metropolitan Transit said officials didn't immediately know what caused Santiago Rodriguez's bus to start rolling.

Rodriguez, 43, was following his normal routine Wednesday by stopping for a cup of coffee before he started his route, the San Antonio Express-News reported in its online edition.

Witnesses said Rodriguez struggled to open the doors and stop the bus, which hit a car. Then, as several customers watched, Rodriguez fell under the bus, a wheel crushing his body.


Worker, 22, dies checking on ride

SEASIDE PARK — A 22-year-old employee of Funtown Pier was killed Saturday night — apparently while working on a ride — and the federal worker-safety agency is investigating, police said. Charles J. Carpenter, 22, of the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey was found unconscious late Saturday night in the service area of the Arctic Circle ride, Seaside Park police Patrolman Stephen Shadiack said.


Construction worker killed

Chicago, IL -- A construction worker was killed when he fell down an elevator shaft while working at a building site on the city's Near Southwest Side early today. Herbert Richardson, described as being in his 40s, fell into the shaft while working at 1516 S. Blue Island Ave. about 1:15 a.m., police said. A 24-hour demolition job was underway at the site, authorities said. Richardson, of the 200 block of Orchard Lane in Dana, Ind., was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:40 a.m., according to a spokeswoman with the Cook County medical examiner's office. A cause of death had not been determined by this afternoon.


Truck driver killed in crash that shuts down Route 7

RIDGEFIELD, CT -- One person was killed and Route 7 was shut down in both directions indefinitely Tuesday when a gasoline tanker truck overturned and burst into flames, state and local authorities said.

The fire damaged a bridge over the Norwalk River on the major north-south highway in western Connecticut, and authorities said gasoline spilled into the river.

The truck driver, who was not identified Tuesday night, died after the truck swerved to avoid another vehicle, overturned and burst into flames, causing a large fire, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi said.

"He didn't have a chance," Marconi said.


Construction worker dies in Waynesboro

WAYNESBORO, Va. A construction worker is dead after a steel beam fell on him at the site of a new supermarket in Waynesboro. Waynesboro police did not release the victim's name, but said he is "from the area." Police said the worker was a member of B-B-S Masonry, based in Harrisonburg. Police said a 400-pound steel beam fell roughly 30 feet from the roof of the Martin's building onto his head around 3 p-m yesterday. The accident is being investigated by Waynesboro police and the Virginia Department of Labor.


Train Collision in Mississippi Proves Fatal

BENTONIA, Miss. - Two freight trains collided and partly derailed early Sunday, killing at least one crew member and leaving rescue crews searching for three others presumed dead in the wreckage, the authorities said.

Rescue teams searched the wreckage on Sunday afternoon, but a fire that followed the crash hampered the search efforts.

The collision, northeast of Bentonia in west-central Mississippi, involved two Canadian National Railroad freight trains. A spokeswoman for Canadian National, Karen Phillips, said the cause was under investigation.

Killed were Arthur Louis Irby, 58, an engineer. The others identified by family members as being aboard the trains were: Shannon Purvis, 21, of Puckett, and Mark Cain, 52, of Sallis. Purvis was a conductor and Cain was an engineer. Also killed was 58-year-old Lee Samuel "Sam" Jones of Jackson, the conductor on the southbound train.


Worker falls, dies at plant
Body recovered at bottom of mixing hopper

SORRENTO, FL -- A Eustis electrician died Tuesday morning when he fell into a 35-foot-tall hopper and was buried in materials used to make concrete, emergency officials said. A 50-member team of firefighters from Lake and Seminole counties and Mount Dora worked for four hours to recover the body of Larry Duane New, 43. He was discovered missing at the large structure about 9:30 a.m. at Superior Concrete Services off County Road 46. New was a self-employed subcontractor working for Superior on a plant addition that makes concrete construction blocks, according to reports. More here.


Wal-Mart Employee Shot, Killed In Dispute

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- A Wal-Mart employee was shot and killed on the job Tuesday night. Roger Handon, 30, was stocking the shelves at the Wal-Mart on Raeford Road in Fayetteville at about 11 p.m. when he got in an argument with a man that ended in gunfire, authorities said. Handon was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight Wednesday.


Worker Dies from Electrocution

Bear, DE— An employee of Delmarva Power Company is dead after being electrocuted shortly after 11:00 Wednesday morning. The electrocution happened shortly after 11:00 Wednesday morning. The victim had 14 years of experience on the job. It happened just yards away from a pllayground, but fortunately police say, no children were around when a lethal bolt of electricity, some 14, 500 volts, shot through the body of 42-year-old Jeffrey Burke, a Lineman 1st Class, for Delmarva Power.


Carpenter Dies of Heat Stroke

Carpenter Joseph Jazdzewski, 25, of Niagara Falls, died of heat stroke Wednesday afternoon.


Construction worker electrocuted in Leavenworth

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. - A Horton man was killed when the boom he was operating touched a live power line, police said.

James Cavin, 27, an employee with Midwest Concrete Placement in Basehor, died Friday.

Leavenworth Police Maj. Patrick Kitchens said Cavin was raising the boom for a concrete pumper truck when the boom struck the power line and caused "serious electrical arcing," eventually causing the truck to catch fire.

Another worker tried to rescue Cavin, attempting to put out the fire with an extinguisher and then pulling on Cavin's body. That worker suffered minor burns and was treated and released at a hospital, Kitchens said.


Worker Electrocuted In Flomaton By Live Power Line

FLOMATON, Ala. -- An electric lineman was killed just before 5 p.m. Tuesday when he came into contact with a live power line. It was energized by a generator that was hooked up improperly.

The man -- whose name has not been released -- was transported by LifeFlight to Jay hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The man worked for Pike Electric, Inc. in Mount Airy, North Carolina.

Alabama Power spokesman Bernie Fogarty says the company is "Deeply saddened and distressed by this tragic event."

Alabama authorities say they're looking for the person responsible for hooking up the generator.


Worker killed trying to clear clogged wood chipper

TAMPA, FL -- A construction worker was killed when he was pulled through a wood chipper as he tried to clear it free of jammed tree cuttings. The man, whose name was not released, may have been trying to use his feet to push debris through the machine Wednesday, authorities said. "These are incredibly dangerous types of equipment. Usually what happens is something gets stuck, and the victim tries to clear it with his hand or foot, then they get pulled in,'' Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman J. D. Callaway said. No one saw the man, who was in his mid-40s and lived in Tampa, pulled into the machine, Callaway said. James Hardman said the man had worked for his company, James Hardman Construction, for about a year.

Hardman said he turned off the chipper when he realized what had happened.


Construction worker dies after 80-foot fall

COSTA MESA, CA -- A construction worker died Wednesday morning after falling some 80 feet at a building site at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The worker, a subcontractor from Aluma Systems, fell as he was erecting scaffolding inside the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, building manager Darrell Waters said. Orange County coroners identified him as Jorge Bazan, 48, of Redondo Beach. Bazan suffered two broken elbows and was conscious and alert when paramedics responded at about 8:30 a.m. but went into full cardiac arrest as he was taken to the hospital, Costa Mesa fire Battalion Chief Keith Fujimoto said. Bazan was wearing a harness at the time, but the scaffolding it was secured to collapsed beneath him, Fujimoto said. "Everything came down with him," Fujimoto said.


State police officer dies on job

Islip, NY -- A senior State Police investigator with 33 years of law enforcement experience died Wednesday after he struggled with and arrested a suspect for disorderly conduct at an Islip gas station, State Police reported Thursday. Police said in a written statement that Senior Investigator Thomas M. O'Neill, 56, was pronounced dead at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore at about 4:15 p.m., shortly after he had arrested Roy V. Mount, 52, of 15 Jeremy Ave., Plainview. The statement said O'Neill was on duty and putting fuel into his vehicle at a Mobil gas station on Wicks Road in Islip when he noticed Mount was engaging in disorderly conduct.


Worker Killed in Fall During Construction at Orange County Performing Arts Center

Orange County, CA -- A construction worker was fatally injured when he fell from scaffolding in the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s under-construction concert hall, the Orange County Register reports. Jorge A. Barzan was working on scaffolding suspended from the roof by cables when workers on the roof, not realizing he was there, adjusted the platform he was on. He was thrown from the platform, which also fell, and since Barzan’s safety rope was attached to the falling platform, there was nothing preventing him from falling 80 feet to the floor. Another worker fell 20 feet, but was stopped by his safety rope, which was attached to another part of the scaffolding.


Army officer dies after workout

FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- A public affairs officer assigned to the 10th Mountain Division died this week after a workout at an Army base in Virginia, the military said Saturday. Maj. Douglas "Duke" Duecker, 46, was on temporary duty for training at Fort Belvoir, according to a statement from Fort Drum. He died Wednesday after exercising at a gym on the base. T


Caltrans Worker Killed At U.S. 101 Road Project

Mendocino, CA -- A Caltrans worker was killed and another man was seriously injured this afternoon when they were struck by a dump truck at a road construction project in Mendocino County, the California Highway Patrol reported. (California Highway Patrol investigators said Daniel Broeske, 56, was killed Monday when the driver of the truck was attempting to dump a load of asphalt.) Wess Nally, 52, of Rio Dell, was flown by helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. The CHP reported that he suffered major injuries. CHP officials said James DenBeste, 71, of Cloverdale, was backing up on northbound U.S. Highway 101 and preparing to dump a load of asphalt from his 1979 GMC dump truck into an asphalt-laying machine at 1:38 p.m. DenBeste did not see the Caltrans worker and Nally who were walking southbound in the construction zone directly behind the truck, according to the CHP. Both men were struck. The Caltrans worker was pronounced dead at the scene.


Worker Dies During Opening Day Festivities For New Trolley

SAN DIEGO, CA -- An autopsy is scheduled Monday for a 54-year-old San Diego man who collapsed while working on the opening day festivities for the new San Diego Trolley Green Line. Martin Willard Ogle, a freelance audio-visual specialist, collapsed at 70th Street and Alvarado Road about 11 a.m. Saturday, a medical examiner investigator said. Ogle was taken to Alvarado Hospital, where he was revived but died a few minutes later, the investigator said. He was pronounced dead at 11:48 a.m.


Construction worker identified in fatal electrocution

HEMET, CA - Authorities on Friday identified a construction worker who was fatally electrocuted at a construction site Thursday, county and city officials reported.

Horlean Antonio Gomez-Ruiz, 33, of Los Angeles, was pronounced dead at about 5:05 p.m. at Hemet Valley Medical Center, the Riverside County Coroner's Office reported.

Cal-OSHA is investigating the electrocution. Firefighters say it may have been an accident.

"I'm speculating but it appeared (Gomez-Ruiz) made accidental contact with a live wire that had 440 amps because he fell straight back from the electrical panel," said Hemet Fire Captain Eric Galliher. "The electricity entered one forearm and exited the other. It happened very quickly."


Middle Tennessee Construction Supervisor Dies In Hurricane Relief Effort

Pensacola, FL --Guy Ford of Pleasant View, Tennessee died in Pensacola, Florida Sunday from carbon monoxide poisoning. Officials said the carbon monoxide came from a generator being used as part of the Hurricane Dennis relief effort. Investigators said Ford was inside a home that had no electricity. They said the generator was providing power to the home, but that it was running in a closed garage. Ford was found unconscious in the home around midnight Sunday and taken to a local hospital, where was pronounced dead


Montgomery County worker found dead

A Montgomery County worker was found dead on the job Tuesday. Montgomery County sheriff's deputies say the worker died while mowing the grass along Mount Zion Road. Officials say it appears the 60-year-old man lost control of the heavy duty equipment he was using to cut the grass. They're not sure yet if the accident caused his death or if he died of some other medical-related problems. The County's not releasing his name yet because his family members have not been notified.


Construction flagman killed in York

FORT LAWN, S.C. - A worker directing traffic in a construction zone near York died after being struck by a truck, state troopers said. Alvyn Crawford Gibson, 73, of Fort Lawn died Monday after he was struck by a truck traveling on state Highway 161 around 12:40 p.m. The truck's driver ran Gibson's stop sign and crashed into some orange construction barrels before hitting the flagman, Lance Cpl. Bryan McDougald said. In 2003, a South Carolina Department of Transportation employee was killed on Interstate 77 in Chester County, McDougald said.


Women Killed Falling Into Vat of Cherries

Traverse City, MI -- A Traverse City woman is dead after falling into a vat of cherries at Peninsula Fruit Exchange on Old Mission Peninsula. Co-workers found 38 year old Joann Mendoza, in a vat where cherries are stored, and called the police at about seven o'clock Tuesday night. According to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff, the woman has worked at Peninsula Fruit Exchange for a number of years. Michigan Occupational Safety and Health is investigating what happened to cause this accident.


Man dies after falling into acid tank at work

New Bedford, MA - A man died A 37-year-old worker died Wednesday
after several large granite counter tops fell onto him
, authorities and hospital officials said.

Jose Cuadrado of New Bedford was crushed under several granite slabs in the 10 a.m. accident at Euro Granite & Tile Co., New Bedford police said. He later died at St. Luke's Hospital, said Maria Swallow, the hospital's administrative supervisor.


1 dead, 4 hurt when roof trusses collapse

Atlanta, GA -- A construction worker at the site of a new Douglas County fire station was killed about 5:30 p.m. Thursday when roof trusses collapsed, injuring four other workers, according to authorities. The men were pinned under several frames, each weighing 250 pounds, when Douglas County authorities received the 911 call to the construction site on Sweetwater Road in Lithia Springs. "We don't know the cause of the collapse," said Wes Tallon, spokesman for the county Fire Department.

The worker's name was Noel Hernandez, 25. More here.


Man killed in accident at Webster Industries

BANGOR, Wis. — A Sparta man was fatally injured Wednesday night in an equipment accident at a hardwood lumber company in Bangor. Derek M. Peterson, 29, was struck by an end loader while working at Webster Industries about 9:08 p.m., according to the La Crosse County Sheriff's Department. He was taken by helicopter to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, where he died at 3:33 a.m. Thursday. The La Crosse County medical examiner's office listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma.


Ohio Boy Dies After Falling Into Grain Bin

HEBRON, Ohio -- A 16-year-old boy died Monday after falling into a grain bin on a farm owned by his family, a sheriff's captain said.

Joseph Parrish was transferring soybeans from one grain bin to another and fell trying to remove soybeans that were stuck to the bottom of one of the bins, said Capt. Chad Dennis of the Licking County sheriff's office.

The boy's father started pumping the soybeans out of the bin; the teen was uncovered about 20 minutes later, about the same time emergency crews arrived. He apparently was unable to stand up because of the crop's weight


Pilot dies in crop sprayer crash


WEBSTER, S.D. (AP) - A pilot from Bristol died Tuesday when his crop spraying plane hit a power line, Day County Sheriff Doug Nelson said. The victim was identified as Scott Sigdestad, 46.

A county highway blade operator saw the crash about 8:30 a.m. 12 miles south of Bristol, Nelson said. He said the airplane hit a Basin Electric Power Cooperative transmission line and that Sigdestad was killed upon impact.


Deli Worker, Killed In Slaying, Remembered As Gentle Person

NEW YORK, NY -- As Angel Cabrera was remembered as an angel-of-a-man by family members Monday, Greenburgh police continued to hunt for his killer.

Cabrera was fatally shot and two other men were wounded during a robbery at the Greenburgh deli where he was a clerk.

The 53-year-old Cabrera was shot Sunday night at the Cibao Grocery and Deli on Tarrytown Road and his body was found in an adjacent alleyway with one gunshot wound to the chest.

The deli owner and his brother who are in critical condition, were shot when they came to their employee's aid.


Railroad worker killed in accident

EMPORIA, KS -- A Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway employee died at about 8 p.m. Tuesday when he fell from a railroad car on E. 6th Avenue in eastern Emporia.

Emporia police officer Andy Surmeier said BNSF employee Christopher Jones, 27, was riding on the back of a train that was entering a grain elevator for switching.

BNSF spokesman Steve Forsberg said that the exact circumstances still were being investigated, but that Jones somehow fell from the car and went underneath it. He was pronounced dead at the scene.


TRACTOR DRIVER DIES

Madison, WI - A farm tractor rolled over Saturday in the town of Medina, killing the machine's operator, according to the Dane County Sheriff's Office.

Police responded at 7:40 p.m. to the incident.

Initial reports indicate the operator may have attempted to drive toward a farm field by going up a steep embankment on the side of the road. The tractor operator was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation, and the man's identity is being withheld until his relatives are notified.


Chinese restaurant owner shot to death in N. Phila.


The owner of a North Philadelphia Chinese Restaurant was killed by two men who broke into his eatery early yesterday, police said.

Lin Lee-Geng, 24, was shot once in the groin inside the basement of the Oriental Kitchen on Ridge Avenue near 18th Street at about 1:30 a.m. He was pronounced dead at Hahnemann University Hospital at 2:24 a.m.

Fiery wreck on I-40 kills driver of mail truck

Lebanon, TN -- A fatal wreck involving two tractor-trailer trucks and a tanker shut down westbound lanes of Interstate 40 early yesterday morning after killing one of the truck drivers.

Officials said a tractor-trailer truck carrying mail hit a tanker carrying a nonflammable liquid from behind about midnight near exit 245 in Lebanon.

The mail truck driver was trapped in his vehicle and died at the scene, said Melissa McDonald, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Safety. The name of the out-of-state man was not released because authorities were still trying to notify the family, she said.

"The way I understand it, the mail truck completely burned at the scene," McDonald said. "I'm not sure if all the mail was destroyed or not."


Worker dies after fall down elevator shaft

A construction worker died Tuesday of multiple injuries in an accidental fall down a Chicago elevator shaft, said the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Herbert Richardson, 43, of the 200 block of Orchard Lane in Dana, Ind., was pronounced dead at the West Side site at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday, a representative with the medical examiner's office said.

Police were called to 1516 S. Blue Island Ave. about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday after learning from firefighters that a man had fallen down the shaft of a building under renovation, Chicago police spokeswoman JoAnn Taylor said.


Worker killed at Texas 130 site

Travis County, TX -- A 22-year-old man died Thursday on his first day at a new job as he worked on the Texas 130 toll road project in eastern Travis County, Texas Department of Transportation spokesman John Hurt said.

Hurt said the worker was helping position a concrete drainage culvert as it was lowered into a trench when the steel bucket fell off a trenching machine, crushing him. The trenching machine, which was digging a new section, was operated by the man's uncle, Hurt said.

The victim was a Mexican citizen who had just been hired by Lone Star Infrastructure, the consortium building the highway, Hurt said.