Monday, October 10, 2005

Weekly Toll

A partial list of the roughly two-hundred American workers killed on the job over the past two weeks.

DOT worker killed on the job took safety seriously

CUMBERLAND, RI -- Francis R. Lussier, the state Department of Transportation worker who was run over and killed on Route 146 on Thursday, was a man who took great pride in his work, according to friends and family.

Lussier, 52, of 31 Vivian Ave., known as Chuck, had worked for the DOT for 31 years.

According to the state police, a pickup truck being driven by DOT worker Edward F. Clark, 61, of North Providence, was attempting to leave the left lane of Route 146 North. The lane had been cordoned off so the DOT crew could work in the road's median strip. Clark mistakenly backed up instead of moving forward. Lussier was walking toward his truck in the cramped work zone and was hit.

The state police said the truck knocked Lussier down and then ran over him. A Lincoln rescue crew transported Lussier to Rhode Island Hospital. He had severe head and chest injuries, the state police said. He died at 1:33 p.m. at the hospital.


Welder killed at Route 46 bridge project

RIDGEFIELD PARK, NJ - A welder working on the Overpeck Creek Bridge construction project was killed Friday when a piece of steel toppled onto him, police said.

Carlos Zhinin, 35, of Orange was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The accident occurred at 3:10 p.m. on the west side of the Route 46 bridge and was originally reported as a car accident, police Lt. John DiNiro said.

But when officers arrived, they found Zhinin trapped between two pieces of heavy steel.

"They couldn't get to him to perform CPR," DiNiro said of the officers.

Workers from Nacirema Environmental Inc. of Bayonne were cutting up the roadway foundation and bridge railing as part of a project to replace the bridge, which is between Route 95 and Grand Avenue.


Accident kills man at TVA nuclear plant

ATHENS, AL -- A north Alabama man has died from injuries suffered in an accident while working in the Tennessee Valley Authority's nuclear plant near Athens.

Richard "Bubba" Haynes, 42, of Killen, who had been on life support, died Thursday at Huntsville Hospital. He was injured Saturday at Browns Ferry nuclear plant when struck by heavy equipment that he was helping move in the Unit 1 reactor, according to plant officials.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident, as is Haynes' employer, Illinois-based L.E. Myers. A second worker was injured but was treated and released from the hospital. More on LE Meyers here.


Hanover grocery worker crushed by truck;

HANOVER, MA - A 42-year-old grocery worker was struck and killed by a delivery truck at Hanover Mall.

William Winters of Pembroke was waiting to unload a trailer-truck at Trader Joe's early Sunday when the accident occurred.

Winters was taken by ambulance to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, where he was pronounced dead.

Police Lt. Walter Sweeney said Winters was crushed between the truck and the loading dock.


Construction worker killed on Kingsbury site Dump truck backs over man

KINGSBURY, NY -- A worker was killed in an accident at a construction site in Washington County.

The accident happened Wednesday morning at a future apartment complex site on Dix Avenue in Kingsbury.

The crew was working on paving over the roadways at the site.

Thirty-five-year-old Jay Golden of Hudson Falls was kneeling down to paint some lines on the road. That's when a dump trucked backed into him.

Officials say he suffered massive trauma to the chest.


Two killed in Hastings shooting

HASTINGS, Minn. - Two young men are on the run after shooting and killing two employees of a Hastings auto glass shop this afternoon.

Police say that two men stormed into Gordy's Premier Auto Glass in Hastings around 1:45 and opened fire. A man and a woman working at the store were killed. Authorities have not released their names.

The two men remain at large.

Witnesses say shortly after the shooting they saw a blond-haired and brunette man carry glass out of the store and put it in a car before speeding off.


Highway worker dies while directing traffic

BOLTON, NY - A highway worker was struck and killed by a dump truck that had faulty brakes and was 20,000 pounds overweight, authorities said.

The victim, Linda Curtis, 47, of Lake George, was directing traffic for the Warren County Department of Public Works at 2:35 p.m. Thursday when the driver lost control of the dump truck carrying 75,000 pounds of materials to a bridge construction project.


Fort Lauderdale Police Department mourns officer killed in I-95 traffic stop fall

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- Officer Jose Diaz wasn't even on the clock early Saturday morning, but he died in the line of duty.

Diaz was driving home from an off-duty detail and didn't have to respond to a call for backup at 4 a.m. on Interstate 95. There, officers pulled over a man suspected of impersonating a police officer, a man who turned out to have done nothing wrong.

Diaz went to the scene anyway, and while trying to back up his fellow officers, he scooted between his cruiser and a waist-high concrete wall, lost his balance and fell 100 feet to the ground below.

Paramedics rushed the 37-year-old police officer, husband and father of two to Broward General Medical Center, said Officer Bill Schultz, spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. They pronounced him dead in the emergency room


Officer killed in crash

South Bend, IN -- A 34-year-old Pulaski County sheriff's deputy was killed early Friday when he lost control of his vehicle while responding to a call.

Killed was Shad Bassett, of Winamac, a two-year veteran of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department.

He leaves behind a wife and three children.


Officer Killed In Line Of Duty Laid To Rest

A Bucks County police officer killed in the line of duty was laid to rest Friday with full police honors.

Officer Brian Gregg was shot and killed last Thursday night after he had taken a suspect to Saint Mary Medical Center in Langhorne for a DUI test.

Bagpipes played as his coffin was taken from Saint Andrews Church in Newtown and placed in the back of a horse-drawn carriage.

Hundreds lined the streets of Newtown as the carriage carried Gregg to his final resting place.

The 46-year-old officer was appointed only about a year ago a full-time position with the department.

He leaves behind a wife and 4-year-old son.


Officer killed in Saturday bank holdup is identified

Norfolk, VA -- A Chesapeake police officer was shot and killed in a bank holdup in Deep Creek Saturday morning. The suspect was also killed and a hostage was injured.

The shootout took place following a robbery at the Bank of Hampton Roads at 852 N. George Washington Highway.

Police say Larry Donnell Blount, 43, held up the bank and took a hostage to his car. The first officer arrived at the bank two minutes after the alarm call was dispatched, and noticed black Toyota speeding away from the bank. A second officer arrived and chased the Toyota, which crashed into a guardrail at the end of Old George Washington Highway.

According to police, Blount got out of the car and was pointing a gun at the hostage. The hostage managed to break free, and Blount exchanged gunfire with police. One police officer, Michael Kevin Saffran, and Blount were shot in the exchange.

Police say Blount died at the scene, and the officer and hostage were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The officer later died at the hospital, and the hostage, who was shot in the leg, was said to be in good condition.


Black security guard fatally shot by man at a club

TIFTON, Ga. -- A black security guard was fatally shot by a Hispanic man at a lounge Wednesday night, police said.

The security guard, Bobby Lee Scott, 30, was shot after he refused to let an intoxicated man into the club, police said.


Agency investigates man's death at plant

Augusta, GA -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an investigation into the death of an E-Z-Go employee Thursday, authorities said Friday.

G.T. Breezley, the area director of the Atlanta East OSHA office, said an inspector was inspecting the company, located in the 1400 block of Marvin Griffin Road, on Friday.

Joe Thuan, 48, of Grovetown, died after his head was crushed as he tried to dislodge a jammed golf cart from an assembly-line machine, according to Richmond County Deputy Coroner Charlena Graham.


Worker killed in industrial accident

FORT HALL, ID - One of the largest local rescue missions in recent history ended unsuccessfully Thursday when a Fort Hall man died after being pinned beneath a 2,500-pound pipe.

Freddie Johnnie was working on installing an uphill section of an 11-mile long natural gas pipeline near Two and a Half Mile Road when a cable reportedly broke and a 60-foot section of pipe tumbled down on top of him.

Other workers present immediately called 911, but the earthen walls of the 8-foot trench in which Johnnie lay proved problematic to rescuers.


Worker killed in farmhouse explosion

PHOENIX, N.Y. -- An explosion early Thursday on an Oswego County farm left one migrant worker dead and nine others injured, authorities said.

Oswego County Sheriff Reuel Todd said the explosion occurred about 6:20 a.m. in the workers' two-story wooden and concrete living quarters on a farm just north of the village of Phoenix, about 20 miles north of Syracuse.

Authorities were not yet releasing the name of the victim. Todd said the man was found pinned under a concrete slab.


Hi-Lift Too Close To Train Tracks

Evansville, IN - The Vanderburgh County coroner says 47-year-old Donovan Sailer Jr. of Paoli died of a broken neck and severed artery. His co-worker, 50-year-old Mike Scales is listed in fair condition at Deaconess Hospital. The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the accident. The train's "black box" information has been downloaded, and will be analyzed for things like speed and when brakes were applied. The investigators will also be looking at radio traffic records to see if there was any miscommunication between the contractors working on Diamond Avenue, the railroad office and the engineer that may have contributed to the accident.


Truck driver killed by rig

Mobile, AL - A 62-year-old Escambia County man died Monday when he fell beneath a tractor-trailer rig as it was being loaded, according to Monroe County Sheriff Tom Tate. Tate said Charles Edward Coleman of Barnetts Crossroads was a truck driver, and was standing outside his truck as another man loaded heavy equipment onto a connected flatbed trailer. "The truck was parked on an incline," Tate said, and as the other man loaded the equipment, the truck began to slide. Coleman apparently tried to jump into the cab to gain control of the truck, but fell beneath it, Tate said.


Seven Mile Bridge open after fatal crash

Miami, FL - The bridge, only two lanes wide, suffered some damage, including surface buckling from the fire's heat and chipping along its concrete barrier walls. But fiber optic cables and drinking water pipelines that run beneath it weren't harmed, as officials had originally feared. Killed in the fire was truck driver Syed R. Zaidi, 45, of Miramar, who burned to death in the cab of his rig, state highway officials said.


Decatur police mourn death of officer

DECATUR, IL - Robin Vogel was an enthusiastic officer and a rising star at the Decatur Police Department, officials said Tuesday. So the death of the 37-year-old mother and one-time Springfield police dispatcher after a two-vehicle collision over the weekend has been especially difficult for her fellow law enforcers. "Robin was dedicated to her job, spirited, and her enthusiasm couldn't help but rub off on all she came in contact with," said a visibly shaken Police Chief Mark Barthelemy during a news conference. "She is going to be missed far more than words will be able to say."


Man dies from injuries at factory

Marion, IN - Shelbyville man has become the second person within two months to die while salvaging equipment and parts inside the former Thomson television picture tube plant in Marion. Marvin Tinsley, owner of salvage company MKT Inc., died Wednesday morning in St. Joseph Regional Burn Center in Fort Wayne, hospital spokesman Geoff Thomas said. Tinsley suffered severe burns in an electrical fire that started when he and other workers cut through a live cable at the closed factory.


Video Store Owner Killed by Armed Robbers

Detroit, MI - Gunfire erupted in a video store between two armed robbers and the owner, and the owner later died from his injuries. Police say they have one suspect in custody, but another is on the loose. Friends and coworkers of Wally, the owner of City Video, went to survey the gruesome scene Thursday. Broken glass and bullet holes revealed some of the harrowing details from Wednesday night’s shooting. Tyisha Anderson-Shelton is a former employee of City Video, and had this to say about Wally: "He was a good guy. He was cool. He was trying to do his religion. He was very strong on religion. He was very helpful for the people in the neighborhood. If you needed a job, he tried to help you as much as he could. It’s just sad to see someone loose their life over something so frivolous." Detroit police say that around 9 p.m. Wednesday, two men armed with guns stormed into the store at 6 Mile and Evergreen. The owner had a gun as well, having been robbed several times. A shootout followed.


Greater peril for foreign workers

FRAMINGHAM MA -- The death of Brazilian Valdecir Rodrigues this week in an industrial accident is the latest incident in a growing trend of workplace fatalities among immigrants that researchers find troubling. Rodrigues, who died Monday when more than a ton of granite slabs fell and crushed him at a Marlborough plant, is the first Brazilian death on the job this year. Since 1999, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Occupational Health Surveillance Program, 11 other Brazilians have died on the job.


Tucson man crushed and killed by paver machine

Tucson, AZ - It happened as Ashton Construction crews were getting ready to repave a section of Miracle Mile near Flowing Wells last night. Eric Kidd, 48, died after a paver machine collapsed and crushed him. Kidd's body was found last night when other workers arrived on the job site. Workers stood and watched as police tried to figure out what went wrong. Police say Kidd had started work early, and began using the paver machine when it suddenly collapsed. "Workers arrived at about 7:45pm," says Sgt. Mark Robinson of the Tucson Police Department. "I believe one of them noticed a hard hat in the area that was on the ground." "And he is trapped between two pieces of the machinery." Kidd died before anyone could save him. His death is now the second construction death to happen in Tucson in the last month. Thomas Goodman died last month of electrocution while doing construction on Tucson's north side. Both Goodman and Kidd were employees of Ashton Construction.


Scientists killed in accident with log truck remembered as pioneers

WA - The Washington state seismologist and a fellow prominent volcano researcher killed in a log truck accident Tuesday near Humptulips were remembered by friends as pioneers in their fields. “He was a renaissance person,” retired professor Al Eggers said of Daniel J. Johnson, 46. “I knew him from the time he was a sophomore at the University of Puget Sound and was in my mineralogy class. State seismologist Anthony Qamar, 62, a research associate professor of earth and space sciences at the University of Washington, had been a key scientist among those at the university who study earthquakes and volcanoes. Qamar and Johnson were on an Olympic Peninsula trip to check on instruments and collect data concerning the “slow-slip” quake that recently occurred off the coast, UW seismology spokesman Bill Steele said. They were killed when an apparent equipment failure caused logs from a southbound log truck to fall off and crash into the car the Seattle men were in. Both died at the scene. An exact cause of the equipment failure is still be investigated, the State Patrol said.


Man Killed In An Industrial Accident Is Identified

Salt Lake City, UT - A man killed in an industrial accident at a Salt Lake City business has been identified. Authorities say 41-year-old Matthew Walker was killed yesterday at Lund Machinery. Police say Walker was helping a co-worker unload a mobile scaffold lift from the back of a semi when it got stuck. Officers say the workers tried to use a forklift to free it, but were unsuccessful. So the workers decided, Walker would lift the machine with the forklift after the other released the tie down cable. However, for some reason, Walker dismounted the forklift and got between the two machines just as the other employee released the tie down cable. Walker ended up getting crushed in between the machines. He was later pronounced dead.


Gas Station Worker Hit By Truck, Dies

SIMSBURY, CT -- A beloved employee of Gibbs' Mobil died Tuesday after a pickup truck ran over him as he crouched by the gasoline pumps repairing pavement cracks, police said. Carl J. Kaminski, 68, who made coffee and did maintenance for 10 years at the Hopmeadow Street gas station, suffered severe head trauma in the 10:54 a.m. accident and was pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Capt. Peter Sevetz said.


Paoli man dies in accident

PAOLI, IN - One of Donovan "Don" Sailer's greatest joys in life was spending Christmas with his nieces and nephews. "He liked surprising them," Bruce Sailer said of his brother this morning, a day after Don was killed in a construction accident. Bruce said, "He enjoyed Christmas more than anybody in the family. "Don, one month short of his 48th birthday, died at the scene when a train hit a hydraulic lift at an overpass where he was working in Evansville. Another worker, Mike Scales, 50, of Evansville, was taken to Deaconess Hospital, where he was listed in fair condition Monday evening. A CSX train traveling south struck the lift that was operated by Gohmann Asphalt doing work on the overpass.


Evansville police said the lift apparently was too close to the track

DIAMONDVILLE, - - Robert Eugene States, 60, died Monday after a backhoe he was operating overturned on his property along Railroad Avenue in Cherryhill Township. Chief Deputy Coroner Mike Baker reported that States was lowering a drainpipe into a ditch when the machine became unstable. As it overturned, States was thrown into the ditch and died from a fracture of the cervical vertebrae. States' son David States said they planned to work on the nearly completed project together today, but that his father always liked to stay busy. "He didn't like sitting still too long," he said. The machine was positioned on an unsafe grade and tipped because of the weight of the pipe, according to Baker. The accident occurred at 11:54 a.m., and States was discovered by his wife of 28 years, Deborah.


FALL KILLS BRIDGE WORKER

New York, NY -- A construction worker tumbled to his death in the Harlem River yesterday while working on the Third Avenue Bridge as co-workers looked on in horror.

Kervin Collado, 27, of The Bronx, slipped and fell, his head striking an abutment on the way down, at about 8:15 a.m., eyewitnesses said.

A Fire Department rescue team pulled him from the murky waters, but he was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital.

Stunned co-workers said Collado had just had his second child and had recently purchased a home in the Parkchester section.

"He slipped," said fellow dockbuilder Joseph Griffin, 42. "A couple of guys went in, but it was too late. The current grabbed him. I worked with him for 15 months. He was a very happy guy — very safety-conscious. It was a bad day." More here.


Man arrested after allegedly shooting co-worker


SACRAMENTO, CA -- A Sacramento man who sheriff's officials believe fatally shot a former co-worker was arrested after a SWAT team swarmed the backyard of an apartment. Ryszard Topor, 47, was shot Monday in the lobby of the engineering firm where he worked with Juan Menendez, 37, sheriff's spokesman R.L. Davis said. Investigators haven't determined a motive for the shooting, Davis said. Menendez had been fired from the Carter & Burgess engineering firm Sept. 19 after working there about three months, but Topor did not supervise him, Davis said. "After the blink of an eye, a family lost a husband and a father," Davis said. "We are very fortunate that we were able to take (Menendez) into custody in a short amount of time."


Sheriff's office at a loss over deputy's death

Gainesville, GA - The sudden death of a Hall County Sheriff's Office deputy early Monday still had those who knew James Timothy White baffled Tuesday. White, 38, of Lula died about 1 a.m. at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, a day and a half after he was injured in a wreck Saturday afternoon while on duty. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Rock Springs Baptist Church in Homer. Details on White's cause of death remained sketchy Tuesday, pending toxicology tests performed by the medical examiner's office. Hall County Sheriff Steve Cronic said the tests generally take at least four weeks, but the medical examiner's office is trying to speed it up.


Man found dead in Roanoke market

Roanoke, VA - Authorities on Tuesday were investigating a killing inside Amelio's Market on Bennington Street Southeast in Roanoke. Police did not immediately identify the gunshot victim, who was found dead in the store around 5:20 p.m. But Crystal Gibson-Murad said the victim had to be her husband, 48-year-old Awni "Major" Murad, who was working in the store. "Please tell me he's OK. ... Oh, no," cried Gibson-Murad as she approached the crime scene. A city police officer consoled her and they spoke softly as she leaned her elbows on the back of a car in tears.


An Ethiopian Found Shot to Death in North Carolina

Wilmington, NC - Geremew Zeleke, an employee of a North Fourth Street convenience store in Wilmington, NC, USA was shot to death during an apparent robbery attempt on Friday 5 January 2001, a North Carolina daily newspaper, Wilmington Morning Star reported. When police arrived, Geremew Zeleke, 33, was found dead, apparently shot to death, the newspaper said. Police are looking for at least two suspects. The victim was married a week before his death and leaves behind a 12-month-old child, the report said. His burial was conducted last Thursday in Wilmington, NC. Meanwhile, an e-mail message sent to Addis Tribune by an Ethiopian said collegues of the deceased are unable to reach his family. The message said they have learnt that Geremew Zeleke had sibilings who lived with their aunt in Addis Ababa, around the area called Campo Asmara.


Grain Elevator Death

Topeka, KS - A federal investigator is expected at a grain elevator in northern Kansas Monday to look into how a worker died on the job. Authorities say 48-year-old Allen Hansen of Downs became caught in a conveyor at the Midway Co-op Friday night. Osborne County Sheriff Curtis Miner said other workers who hadn't seen Hansen for some time found him in the basement. The elevator was open to take grain from the fall milo harvest. A representative of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was expected to be at the elevator Monday.


Truck driver killed when truck rolls, pins him

BECKLEY, W.Va. — A Pennsylvania man who died when his tractor-trailer truck rolled backward and pinned him in a rest area parking lot may have lain under the truck for an hour before his body was discovered. David Meredith, 32, of Bethel, Pa., was killed Monday afternoon at the Beckley Travel Plaza on southbound Interstate 77-64, said West Virginia State Police Sgt. D.A. Gunnoe. The busy travel plaza includes a restaurant, shops and a gas station and is next to the Tamarack arts and crafts center. A travel plaza employee saw the tractor-trailer pull into the parking lot just after 3 p.m. Meredith's body was found about 4:15 p.m. by another truck driver.


Dead man identified

Greenwood, MS - A man who was found in a cotton field off Malmaison Road Saturday has been positively identified, according to Leflore County Undersheriff Jimmy Tindall. The body of John Whittemore, 51, of 8064 County Road 318, was identified Wednesday by state pathologist Dr. Steven Hayne, Tindall said. Whittemore was found late Saturday afternoon by a crew picking cotton on farmer Harry Lott's field. He was found not far from his three-wheeler and likely suffered injuries from a collision with a tree, said Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks Monday. Whittemore had been reported missing on Sept. 10 and that deputies had looked for him that afternoon and again on Sept. 15.


Pulaski County deputy killed in crash

MEDARYVILLE, Ind. — A Pulaski County sheriff’s squad car spun out of control and ran into a tree today, killing the deputy inside, police said. Deputy Shad Bassett, 34, of Winamac was responding to a call when the crash happened about 12:15 a.m. on Ind. 39 in a rural area about 50 miles north of Lafayette. He was pronounced dead at the scene of massive head injuries. A preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police did not find a reason for why Bassett’s car left the roadway, going into a drainage ditch before hitting a tree at the driver’s side door. Police said Bassett was wearing a seat belt


Deputy Killed On His Way To Work

SAN ANTONIO -- A 36-year-old jailer at the Bexar County Sheriff's Office was killed late Thursday in a motorcycle crash on the Northeast Side. San Antonio police said Fernando Orozco was on his way to work at 11 p.m. when it's believed one of the tires of the victim's motorcycle blew out, causing the deputy to lose control of the bike and slam into a guardrail at Interstate 35 South near Loop 410. Orozco was ejected from his motorcycle and landed in a lane of the Interstate, where he was run over by a sport utility vehicle, police said. The victim was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he died. The driver of the SUV lost control of her vehicle and hit a guardrail and then broadsided an 18-wheeler. The woman and two children riding with her were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.


Worker killed in industrial accident

FORT HALL - One of the largest local rescue missions in recent history ended unsuccessfully Thursday when a Fort Hall man died after being pinned beneath a 2,500-pound pipe. Freddie Johnnie was working on installing an uphill section of an 11-mile long natural gas pipeline near Two and a Half Mile Road when a cable reportedly broke and a 60-foot section of pipe tumbled down on top of him. Other workers present immediately called 911, but the earthen walls of the 8-foot trench in which Johnnie lay proved problematic to rescuers. ”When we were live on scene, we could not even visualize the victim,“ said David Gates, division chief for the Pocatello Fire Department. ”You take precautions ... to make sure rescuers don't get killed.“


Ala. plant worker dies after accident

ATHENS, Ala. - A nuclear plant worker who was struck by heavy equipment inside a reactor has died from his injuries. Richard Haynes, 42, of Killen was helping move the equipment in the Unit 1 reactor at Browns Ferry when he was struck Saturday, plant officials said. He died Thursday. No possible reactive elements were nearby, said Browns Ferry spokesman Craig Beasley. A second injured worker was treated and released. Unit 1, which was shut down in 1985 amid safety concerns, is being prepared for a 2007 restart. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Haynes' employer, Illinois-based L.E. Myers, were investigating. Officials at the Tennessee Valley Authority, which owns the nuclear plant near Athens, said the last fatal accident at Browns Ferry was in 1985 when a piece of a crane fell through an office roof and struck a man.


E-Z-Go worker killed on job

An E-Z-Go employee was killed Thursday afternoon when he was crushed as he tried to free a jammed golf cart from an assembly-line machine. Joe Thuan, 48, of Grovetown, was pronounced dead at Medical College of Georgia Hospital at 5:20 p.m. - less than an hour after the accident. An autopsy will be performed late today or Saturday at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab on Phinizy Road, Assistant Richmond County Coroner Charlena Graham said. Mr. Thuan was trying to dislodge a cart that was stuck in the unload station at the end of the line when his head was crushed in the machinery, Ms. Graham said. In a statement released late Thursday night, John Garrison, E-Z-Go's president said, "Joe was a stellar member of the E-Z-Go family - respected and admired by all of the employees who worked with him." Mr. Garrison also said that the company, located on Marvin Griffin Road, is investigating the accident.


Road worker killed by truck

BOLTON LANDING, NY -- A county worker flagging traffic was killed Thursday afternoon when she was struck by a dump truck which had lost its brakes and was trying to maneuver around the construction site. Linda Curtis, 47, of Lake George, stepped from between two other construction vehicles on New Vermont Road when she was struck just after 2:30 p.m., according to the Warren County Sheriff's Office.


Female racer dies after crash

A 48-year-old female race car driver died Sunday after being injured during a racing accident Saturday night at a Nashville area track. Anita Clem's car rolled over onto its top coming out of turn 2 after hitting another car and the wall in a race at the Highland Rim Speedway in Robertson County, according to eyewitnesses. Clem, of Cottontown Tennessee, died at 10:15 a.m. yesterday from her injuries


Two Killed in Taxicab Crash, Driver Arrested

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- A taxi driver and passenger are dead after a high-speed hit-and-run crash late Sunday night. The cab was also carrying two other passengers who were hurt in the collision. Police say it started when Kevin McGuinness, 43, of San Francisco, allegedly slammed his Toyota Tundra pickup truck into a car and fled the scene. The victim of that accident gave chase in his car before McGuinness eventually crashed his pickup again into a taxicab about 11:45 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Webster St. and Broadway. The taxicab driver, Zareh Sanjikian, and a passenger were killed in the crash. Authorities were not releasing identities of the other victims. Sanjikian would have turned 76 on Monday.


Owner Killed and Three Others Shot in Barbershop

An owner of a barbershop in Upper Manhattan was killed yesterday afternoon when a disgruntled former owner of the shop walked in and shot him and three other men, the police said. The gunman, identified by the police as Eddy Espinal, 40, was arrested around the corner from the shop, which is on St. Nicholas Avenue near West 189th Street in Fort George, after a passing police officer saw him running away.

Mr. Espinal entered the shop and fired six shots at the two current owners, emptying his revolver, the police said. The two other men who were wounded may have been customers and did not seem to be targets, the police said. They were hit by bullets that had already passed through one of the owners. The man who was killed, identified by a co-worker as Ernesto Filpo, 25, was struck four times - in the shoulder, thigh, leg and back; he was pronounced dead a short time later at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the police said. The other owner, identified by the police as Franklin Rodney, 31, was shot in the stomach and was listed in critical condition at the same hospital. Mr. Rodney is the father of four children, ranging in age from 4 months to 4 years, said the co-worker, Fran Rosario.


California Officer Dies After Being Hit By Car

CA - Rocklin Police Officer Matt Redding was struck and fatally injured by a white Ford pickup truck. The collision occurred while Officer Redding was directing traffic on North-Bound Highway 65 just south of Stanford Ranch Road. The Pick-up truck that struck Officer Redding left the scene was spotted by other police officers a short distance away and stopped. The driver, 25 year old Eric Dungan of Lincoln, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Felony Hit and Run Driving, and Vehicular Manslaughter with Gross Negligence.


Puna man killed in industrial accident

HI - A 43 year old Pohoiki man was killed Thursday (October 6, 2005) from injuries he sustained while working at a job site in the Hawaiian Shores Subdivision in Puna. The victim was identified as Thomas Roth. Responding to a 1:56 p.m. call, Puna Patrol Officers determined that the victim was reportedly electrocuted while working on a tree trimming crew on Maiii Street in the Hawaiian Shores Subdivision. The victim was transported by Fire Rescue personnel to the Hilo Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 3:02 p.m.


Hastings couple shot, killed in daylight attack at store

A Hastings couple was shot and killed in a brazen attack inside an auto glass shop Saturday afternoon, and police are searching for two young men seen speeding from the scene in a red Pontiac. Hastings police were called to Gordy's Premier Auto Glass on Vermillion Street in Hastings at about 1:50 p.m. Saturday and found the bodies of a man and woman. Police haven't identified the victims, but friends and a family pastor identified them as Peter J. Niedere and his wife, Patricia, who own the auto glass shop. Paula Johnson, who works at the Domino's Pizza next door to Gordy's, said she was at an employee meeting when the shooting happened. Her husband and 11-month-old baby were waiting for her in the parking lot. "Next thing he knows, he hears a gunshot," Johnson said.


Office gunman kills one, then self

Edgewater, MD -- A man armed with a rifle walked into an Edgewater mortgage company yesterday afternoon and shot two people, one fatally, then drove his truck to a nearby drugstore and killed himself. Kenneth Brian Kertesz, 43, of Waldorf was pronounced dead at Prince George's Trauma Center a few hours after being shot in the chest at his workplace, Universal Mortgage and Finance. An "associate" who had stopped by to visit, William Augustus Snow, 44, of Chesapeake Beach, was treated at Anne Arundel Medical Center for a minor gunshot wound to his shoulder, county police said.


Shot on Job, Woman Dies 4 Days Later

Newburgh, NY - Four days after she was shot in the head by a disgruntled former employee, the office manager of a Hudson Valley cosmetics company died yesterday, the authorities said. JoAnne Obrien, 48, was pronounced dead at St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh early yesterday, according to the police chief of New Windsor, N.Y., Michael Biasotti. She had been on life support since the attack. Also yesterday, the police revealed that several hours before the attack, the former employee, Victor M. Piazza, who was managing a coin-operated laundry in Richmond Hill, Queens, mailed a letter to one of his employees at the laundry in which he alluded to the impending violence. Several hours later, Mr. Piazza walked into the offices of the cosmetics company, Verla International, in New Windsor, where he shot Ms. Obrien and the company's owners. He then killed himself. Mr. Piazza was fired from his job in February 2004 because he had downloaded child


Laurel man killed in work accident

MIWEST, MT - A Laurel, Mont., man was killed when two pipes broke loose at an Anadarko Petroleum Corp. pipe yard here. Daniel Shaules, 37, died Wednesday, said Sgt. Mark Sellers of the Natrona County Sheriff's Department. Sellers said Shaules was helping to stack the 41-foot, 1,500-pound pipes when one hit his legs, knocking him down. The second pipe apparently hit Shaules in the chest. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified of the accident.


Bucks County Cop Killed

Allentown, PA - One police officer is dead and another hurt after a shooting in a Bucks county hospital. It happened last night at saint mary medical center in middletown township. Police say robert flor...a drunk-driving suspect...was brought to the hospital for blood tests. We're told he somehow got a gun in the emergency room and shot and killed 46-year-old Brian Gregg...a newtown police officer. Another officer...31-year-old james warunek was shot in the chest. The gunman also shot an emergency room worker.


Store clerk killed in attempted robbery

Pleasant Grove, TX - Feroz Noor-Ali Lalani was counting the days until he would be eligible for U.S. citizenship next year. Four years of anticipation made him giddy whenever he talked about it, said his co-worker, Aziz Akbarali. The two men grew up about 10 miles apart in Karachi, Pakistan, and ended up working at the same Pleasant Grove gas station "looking for a better future from a Third World country," Mr. Akbarali said. But about 3:20 a.m. Friday, Mr. Lalani's dream ended. He was fatally shot during an attempted robbery.


Worker struck, killed by paving machine

FORT WORTH, TX - A contract worker was killed this morning when he was struck and dragged beneath an asphalt paving machine during a project at South Hulen Street and Overton Plaza.

The employee, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. More than 2 1/2 hours after the accident, his body remained partially lodged beneath the machine.


Worker drowns on his lunch break

Boulder, CO -- A construction worker drowned Wednesday while trying to swim across a retention pond in northwest Harris County during his lunch break, authorities said.

The man, whose identity was not available, was about halfway across the reservoir near the 2000 block of Boulder when he started having difficulty swimming, deputies said.

Another worker tried to swim to the man, but was unable to reach him in time, deputies said.


Ship Channel dock worker killed by snapped cable

Houston, TX -- A dock worker was killed Tuesday morning when a cable on a crane carrying heavy steel equipment snapped, knocking him 20 to 30 feet through the air.

Witnesses said Abelino Ponce, 54, of the 8200 block of Brockton, was standing near the crane onboard the cargo vessel Ma Altair when the 1 1/2 - to 1 3/4 -inch cable struck him on the right side, a police report said. The man landed on another part of the Panamanian-registered ship.

Workers were unloading the steel products from the foreign vessel, which was in port beside the New Marine Terminal warehouse on the Number One Wharf at Magnolia Park, along the Houston Ship Channel.


Officials investigating worker's death

Evansville, IN -- The death of a worker killed while dismantling the former AMAX Coal Co. dragline in Warrick County on Saturday still is being investigated.

Juan Gonzales, 32, died around 10 a.m. Saturday, said Warrick County Coroner Ron Bacon.

He had been working for Par Company of Nitro, W.Va., dismantling the long idled dragline - a giant strip mining shovel - on St. John's Road in northern Warrick County. Bacon said Gonzales died instantly of massive head and chest trauma when pieces of the cable from the dragline boom arm struck him like shrapnel. Workers had cut the line to drop the boom. An autopsy was being performed to determine the exact cause of death.

The dragline, Bacon said, is owned by Warrick Holding Co., which bought it from AMAX and hired Par to dismantle the equipment so that it can be sold for scrap. The property is owned by developer Tom Newmaster, he said. Workers have been on the job dismantling the dragline for two weeks.

Bacon said Gonzales is a native of Mexico but his immigration status was unclear.


Man killed in factory accident

NEW PARIS, IN -- An Elkhart man was crushed by a small bus being moved through a factory Thursday afternoon.

Aleksey Ivanov, 26, was working at the Turtle Top shuttle bus factory when a vehicle "inadvertently lurched, moved forward and pinned him against the wall," said manager Rob Cripe.

The accident happened around 1 p.m.; an hour later, Ivanov died at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne.

"This was not operator error; it has to be determined (whether it was equipment failure). ... This was just an accident; we hold nobody responsible for it," Cripe said Friday, when the factory was closed.

"We're a pretty heavily family-oriented company, so we treat the employees like family. It hit pretty hard," he added.


1 body found in copter crash

Seattle, WA -- The remains of one person were recovered Friday as search crews combed the waters of Puget Sound north of Seattle for the wreckage of an Airlift Northwest medical transport helicopter -- the second deadly accident to befall the company in 10 years.

The pilot and two nurses aboard the twin-engine Agusta A109 helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed Thursday night into the waters off Edmonds, authorities said. No patient was aboard.

"It's with obvious sadness that we're gathering here today for this tragedy," Dr. David Baker, Airlift Northwest's acting medical director, told reporters Friday. "We're all deeply affected by their loss."

Baker offered condolences to the families of the crew, identified as pilot Steve Smith, 59, of Whidbey Island, and nurses Erin Reed, 48, and Lois Suzuki, 47, both of Seattle.


Man, 60, Killed in Bulldozer Accident

FORT GREEN, FL -- A 60-year-old Bartow man was killed Tuesday morning when his bulldozer went into a water-filled pit at a Mosaic Co. phosphate mine in northern Hardee County.

John L. Brinson, a longtime employee, was pronounced dead on arrival at Florida Hospital Wauchula shortly after the accident, said David Townsend, a Mosaic spokesman. The Medical Examiner's Office determined he drowned.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident, said Suzy Bohnert, an agency spokeswoman. She could not say when the report would be available.

Brinson had been told to push dirt into the water to clear an opening so a pump could be placed in the water to reduce the water level. Later, another mine employee, Tony McVay, called Steele by radio to report he couldn't see the bulldozer at the pit and that smoke and bubbles were coming from the water, the deputy said.


Tribune Ad Worker Killed In 301 Crash

RIVERVIEW, FL - A Tampa Tribune advertising employee was killed in a traffic accident while on her way home Wednesday afternoon.

Christa J. Ferrari, 61, was preparing to turn left on southbound U.S. 301 about 4:40 p.m. when her 2000 Hyundai Elantra was struck by a minivan traveling north on the highway, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Rte. 17 crash kills truck driver

VESTAL, NY -- Two trucks traveling east on Route 17 bumped into each other early Monday afternoon, causing one to veer into the grassy median and roll over several times, killing the driver, Thomas Brink, 62, of Nichols, who was ejected from the truck.

Brink was an employee of F.S. Lopke Contracting of Apalachin, according to the company's owner, Frank S. Lopke, who was at the accident scene Monday afternoon. The victim was driving a Lopke-owned dump truck.


Construction accident kills worker at Thanksgiving Point

LEHI, UT — A construction worker died Friday after being struck in the head by a steel beam.

Anthony Bugni, 28, of Divide, Mont., who was working on a building at Thanksgiving Point, died instantly, Lehi Police Sgt. Jeff Swenson said.

Bugni was working on the third story of the building frame when he was struck by a beam that dropped about 6 feet while being moved by a crane, Swenson said.
Swenson said there were conflicting reports on the weight of the beam, ranging from 1,200 to 2,500 pounds. But the weight was significant enough that the accident killed Bugni at the scene.

Bugni was wearing a hard hat and his safety harness kept him from dropping three stories to the ground after he was struck.


Officer slain in Wayne County

Jackson, MS -- A Waynesboro patrolman was fatally shot in the face after a traffic stop, becoming the state's third officer killed this year in the line of duty, an official said Thursday.

Jamie Walker, a two-year officer, was killed around 11:25 p.m. Wednesday after pulling over a Ford van reported stolen earlier that night from a local bar, Mayor Joe Taylor said.

The driver, James Elmer Hartley, 32, of State Line is charged with grand larceny and capital murder. Hartley is being held without bond at the Wayne County Jail, a jailer said.

"Before (Hartley) rolled the window down, he shot Walker in the face through the glass with a shotgun," Taylor said. "Backup was turning onto the street and saw him lying on the ground."


Stewart farmer killed in grain bin accident

STEWART, Minn. -- Rescuers cut a hole in a grain bin in an attempt to reach a trapped farmer but were unsuccessful.

Randall Hillman, 47, was pronounced dead at his father's farm Thursday evening, said Sibley County Sheriff Bruce Ponath.

Ponath said Hillmann was apparently trying to break up the top level of grain in a bin when the grain gave way. Hillmann was buried.

Rescuers were called, but they could not get to the trapped farmer in time. Ponath said Hillmann was under the grain for 20 to 25 minutes.


Burned worker dies from injuries

ZANESVILLE, OH -- John Wallace was a man who loved life.

The 51-year-old man was known for his egregious laugh and contagious sense of humor. Friends say Wallace was the kind of guy you had to laugh with.

Wallace, an employee with Brock's Welding and Repair Service, was killed as he was performing a routine oil drum repair at Oxford Oil Co. on 4900 Boggs Road.

Sparks from the acetylene torch Wallace was using on the drum ignited residual oil left in the container.

Wallace was engulfed in fire and was hurled 20 to 25 yards from the explosion site, landing in a nearby pile of pipes. When officers from the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene, they found Wallace still on fire.

Det. Fred Curry and Deputy Ruth King smothered Wallace with blankets from their cruisers and waited for help to arrive.

The ruptured oil drum, which Wallace was working on before the accident, also caught fire and was thrown onto Wallace's service truck -- igniting many of the secondary tanks in the truckbed.


Security guard shot to death in Savannah

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- A security guard working an area where houses were under construction was shot to death early Thursday, police said.

The guard, identified as Jerome Edwards, 54, was shot about 3:20 a-m, Savannah-Chatham County Police said. His body was found lying between two houses.

Police say the employee of Four State Security had been shot at least once.


Local worker killed as lawn mower flips

OCALA, FL - A 40-year-old man mowing a community's retention pond area died Tuesday morning when the mower he was operating, slid down a steep embarkment, flipped, and fell on him, police said.

Around 10:18 a.m., Ocala police received a 911 call from Jim and Rosamond Brooks, who reported finding an unidentified, unresponsive man lying in the grass in the Brookstone subdivision off South County Road 475. Jason Mewbern's legs were protruding from beneath the red, Zero Radius riding lawn mower.

Authorities theorized Mewbern was mowing the retention pond by himself and went up a steep hill. Once he reached the top of the hill, Mewbern attempted to turn around, but the lawn mower rolled down the side of the hill and overturned, landing on him.

Tim Miller, owner of APM Landscape and Lawn Care, said Mewbern - who had just joined the two-member crew in July - was "a good man."


Park worker dies near Vernal Falls

San Francisco, CA -- Daniel P. Madrid, a National Park Service special agent, collapsed and died Saturday at the Vernal Falls bridge near Yosemite Valley while on his way to investigate a fatal accident involving a visitor.

Madrid, who was 51, was on temporary duty in Yosemite from his regular post at the Ozark Scenic Riverways in Missouri. He was filling in for Yosemite personnel who had been reassigned temporarily to emergency duty on the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Madrid was on his way to recover the body of Yosemite visitor Chintan Chokshi, who was killed when he was swept over Vernal Falls in late July. The body had not been recovered due to high water flows in the Merced River.


BGE worker killed, 2nd hurt in crash on La. repair trip

Lafayette, LA -- A Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. worker died and another was injured yesterday in an accident on a Louisiana interstate as they rode in a convoy of utility trucks to assist in repairs in the wake of Hurricane Rita.

Killed in the accident on Interstate 55, a few miles south of the Mississippi border in Tangipahoa Parish, was 38-year-old Wilson "Skip" Strong Jr. of Bel Air, Louisiana State Police said.

An overhead crew leader for BGE, he had been sent Saturday to the region already devastated by Hurricane Katrina and being inundated by a second hurricane, Rita, company officials said.

Police said Strong was a passenger in a southbound truck driven by co-worker Robert W. Graf, a 32-year-old overhead lineman from White Marsh who was slightly injured.



B'KLYN SALON OWNER SLAIN.

Brooklyn, NY -- A JILTED LOVER WHO STALKED his ex-girlfriend for two weeks erupted in a murderous rage yesterday - fatally shooting her and then himself at the hair salon she owned in Brooklyn, police said.

"I need to talk to you," Jorge Peguero, 54, told Vinicia (Dolores) Baez, 43, when he showed up at her Park Slope beauty parlor with a 9-mm. Glock hidden under his clothes.

"It'll only take a minute."

Peguero followed Baez to the shampoo room in the back of Dolores & Alex Hair Stylists on 11th St., near Fifth Ave., where he shot her once in the head and turned the gun on himself, cops said.


Worker electrocuted while trimming tree

Miami, FL -- A worker died Monday after being shocked by a power line while trimming trees.
Pedro Mendoza, 36, was trimming trees behind a Pinecrest home Monday morning when he was shocked by 7,500 volts of electricity from power lines, officials said.

Mendoza's machinery got caught in a power line and he was shocked. The housekeeper at the home called 911. Pinecrest police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived at 11 a.m. and found the worker hanging by his ladder upside-down above the house's roof.


UCF cop fatally shot by Orlando police outside Citrus Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. A University of Central Florida police officer was fatally shot by an Orlando officer outside the Citrus Bowl before a football game on Saturday.

Witnesses told the Orlando Sentinel that an undercover officer broke up a gathering of students, who resisted his efforts. The officer then fired three shots into the air for help.

A spokeswoman for the Orlando Police Department confirms that an officer opened fire. The spokeswoman says a third person was involved in the incident. She refused to say if the person was injured and would not name that person.

Police say the shot officer, Mario Jenkins, was wearing street clothes, but would not comment on the circumstances of the incident.


Driver arrested after death of motorcycle officer

Riverside, CA -- A 47-year-old California Highway Patrol officer who lived in
Riverside was killed while on duty in the City of Industry Friday when his motorcycle was struck from behind by a car.

Officer David Marin Romero, a 23-year veteran of the CHP stationed in Santa Fe Springs, was sitting at a red light just before 10 a.m. at the intersection of Turnbull Canyon Road and
Valley Boulevard when he was hit by a 1972 Monte Carlo, said Detective Sgt. Bill Marsh of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau.


Meat Market Owner Dies After Being Shot

MIAMI -- Police say the long-time owner of a Coconut Grove meat market has died after being shot during an armed robbery.

Angel Arias, 75, was shot several times by three or four men who robbed the Coconut Grove Meat Market at 3461 Grand Ave. Sunday afternoon.

An employee of the meat market was also wounded in the leg during the robbery.


Highway worker dies

Sioux Falls, SD -- A highway worker was killed Thursday afternoon in Spirit Lake, Iowa, when a construction truck hit her as she directed traffic.

Joyce Wachter, 49, of Akron, Iowa, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Spirit Lake police.

The truck was owned by Rohlin Construction, which is working on a resurfacing project on Highways 9 and 71 in Spirit Lake.


'NINJA' THUG KILLS BAKERY MAN

Queens NY -- A Queens bakery worker was shot dead yesterday by a ski-masked man dressed entirely in black and intent on holding up the place, cops said.

The ninja-like gunman entered the Hostess-Wonder Bread Outlet on Atlantic Avenue in Woodhaven at about 6 p.m. and announced a robbery.

When George Kuruvilla, 53, tried to run out the back, the thief shot him in the head, then fled west on Atlantic Avenue, cops said.


Dump truck driver killed in accident

FONTANA, CA -- A 39-year-old dump truck driver was killed Friday morning after he lost control of his vehicle.

Fontana Police responded to a crash around 7:18 a.m. at Foxborough Drive just north of Reservoir Road, according to a San Bernardino County Coroner news release.

Police found Leroy Parker, 39, of Pasadena, dead after being ejected from the 1997 Western Star Dump truck he was driving.

Parker was traveling south on Foxborough on his way to drop off a load of dirt when he lost control of the dump truck on a curve, the statement said.


Trooper struck, killed during traffic stop

Dunn, TX -- Kevin Floyd would have turned 46 on Sunday, but the soft-spoken state trooper didn't get the chance.

Floyd was killed in the line of duty Thursday after a Ford pickup with a trailer in tow struck him along U.S. 60 near the Texas County town of Dunn. His death brings the number of Missouri highway patrolmen killed this year to four -- an all-time high that's straining morale.

"We're grieving. We're angry. We're confused," said Troop D spokesman Sgt. Dan Bracker. "We don't understand why this had to happen."

Just five weeks ago, Cpl. Jay Sampietro of Rogersville died in a similar manner after a sport-utility vehicle struck him on Interstate 44 near Strafford. Sampietro, 36, was directing traffic around a team of patrol investigators reconstructing an earlier crash.


Largo man dies while repairing air conditioner

TAMPA, FL - A Largo man died from electrical shock Sunday afternoon while repairing an air conditioning system at a Tampa motel, police said.

Jason L. Sveda
, 26, and Steven Koehnlein of Areas Air Service of Tampa were working at the Orange Motel at 7800 N Nebraska Ave., when Sveda climbed into the attic. Koehnlein, who stayed below, called out to Sveda shortly before 1 p.m. and got no response. He climbed into the attic and found Sveda lying between the rafters, police said. Koehnlein touched Sveda's foot and got a shock.


Authorities identify man killed at construction site

Simi Valley, CA -- Authorities have identified a man who was killed Thursday while working at a mall construction site in Simi Valley.

Stephen Reitter, 46, of Long Beach, died after a 10-ton sewer pump truck he had been using rolled and drove over him about 12:45 p.m., police said.

Reitter had been cleaning an underground drainage system in the 1600 block of Town Center Way, where the Simi Valley Town Center mall is under construction.


Verla shooting victim, O'Brien, dies

Middletown, NY - New Windsor – Joanne O'Brien, one of three victims in the shootings Monday at Verla International, died this morning from her injuries. A spokeswoman for St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital said today that O'Brien, 48, passed away during the night. O'Brien worked for Verla, a cosmetics plant in New Windsor, for more than 20 years, working her way up from assembly line employee to vice president of production. She and the company's two co-owners, Mario Maffei, 57, and Robert Roth, 65, were shot in the head Monday by Victor Piazza, 55, a former employee who was fired last year after child pornography was found on his work computer. Piazza then fatally shothimself, according to police. Maffei and Roth, who were not as seriously injured as O'Brien, are expected to make full recoveries.


Victim identified in fatal construction site accident

North Naples, FL - Aman who died Thursday evening after a tire exploded at a North Naples construction site was identified this morning as Louis F. Prophet, 42. The Collier County Sheriff's Office said Prophet died when a rear tire exploded at about 5 p.m. after he crawled beneath a large truck to work on it at the site off Airport-Pulling Road, near Coach House Lane. Officials were transporting Prophet to Naples Community Hospital when it was determined that he had died as a result of his injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified of the incident.


Man dies after falling from fire station's roof


CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- A man died after falling from the roof of the Cedar Rapids Fire Department substation on Mount Vernon Road SE Friday morning, city officials said. According to Doug Wagner, assistant to Mayor Paul Pate, the man was an employee of Cedar Service Company, which was performing repairs to the roof of the station, located at 2416 Mount Vernon Road SE. He fell at about 10 a.m. and was taken to Mercy Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. No other information, including the man’s name, was released pending notification of relatives and an investigation into the incident.


Bar owner shot, killed during robbery


Houston, TX -- A west Houston bar owner was fatally shot during an apparent robbery at his business, police said An employee found Jose Guadalupe Navarro, 61, on the floor when she arrived for work about midnight Tuesday at the bar in the 1100 block of Silber. The man was dead from an apparent gunshot wound to the head, police said. Navarro opened the bar for business about 10:40 p.m. Evidence found at the scene indicates he may have been shot during a hold-up.


White Hall Mayor Demanding Answers After Police Officer Dies In Car Wreck

White Hall, AL- White Hall Mayor John Jackson expressed sadness at losing a police officer and a friend but quickly showed he is angry over what he considers a 'deplorable' response by Emergystat Friday night. "It took almost an hour and a half to get an ambulance to the scene and that's ridiculous," says Jackson. What Jackson is referring to is the time it took for Emergystat Ambulance to show up Friday night on County Road 9, one mile off Highway 80 in Lowndes County. This is where 57-year old veteran police officer John Shaner, Sr., collided with another car. Shaner was not chasing anyone but was on his way with blue lights on to assist other officers on a call on Highway 80.


Bodyguard killed outside escort service

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- A bodyguard working for an escort service was fatally shot while sitting in a chair outside the business south of downtown. Edwin Tamoua, 35, of South Salt Lake, was shot
several times around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and died at a hospital, said Salt Lake City police spokesman Dwayne Baird. Tamoua worked for the company for three years, providing late-night protection for the escorts and was on duty when he was shot, Baird said. "These girls come back with a lot of money, and his job is to make sure nobody accosts them as they are coming in," Baird said. Baird said robbery was not being considered a motive. "Somebody just came up and shot him multiple times," Baird said.