STERLING HEIGHTS, MI -- Longtime employee from Macomb Twp., who won award for money-saving ideas, crushed by machinery. William "Bill" Neill was a devoted Ford Motor Co. employee. The millwright spent four decades with the company at its Mound Road plant and in the early 1990s, his ideas helped save the plant money. On Thursday, the 59-year-old Macomb Township resident was killed at the Sterling Heights plant when a piece of heavy equipment fell on him. The accident happened about noon when two men were unloading machinery from a truck at the plant at 39000 Mound, Sterling Heights Police Lt. Michael Reese said. Neil Wallyn of Sterling Heights, who worked side by side as an apprentice with Neill in 1993, recalled Neill as a "real professional."
Man dies in accident at Sony DADC
Terre Haute, IN- A 32-year-old man died Monday after a construction accident at Sony DADC, authorities said. The man, whose name was not released pending relative notification, was using an auger to dig holes for foundation footers at the industry on Terre Haute's north side, said Jeff Fisher, public information officer for Terre Haute Fire Department. About 10:30 a.m., the man became tangled in a hydraulic hose, which tightened and crushed him against equipment, Fisher said. The man later died at Union Hospital, he said. A human resource official at Sony DADC did not return a call Monday about who employed the man or what contracting company was working on the project. An autopsy will be performed today by Vigo County Coroner Dr. Roland Kohr in Terre Haute Regional Hospital.
Refuse collector struck by garbage truck, dies
Olney, MD - A refuse collector who was struck by a garbage truck in Olney just before 1 p.m. Tuesday was pronounced dead at the hospital. A driver and co-worker from Potomac Disposal of Rockville were picking up garbage in the 17700 block of Coatbridge Place. The co-worker was coming around the front of the truck when the driver began to travel forward and struck him, county police reported. Police did not release the names of the driver and the deceased co-worker by Gazette press time because their families had not been notified. The incident is being investigated by the Collision Reconstruction Unit of the Montgomery County Police.
Accident kills turkey plant worker
State College, PA - A Sartell, Minn., man has died after an industrial accident at the Jennie-O Turkey Store plant. Christopher Hansen, 27, died Thursday at about 10:30 p.m., the company said in a statement Friday. He was crushed in machinery, said James Honerman, spokesman of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hansen's mother, Jackie Spoden-Bolz of Sauk Centre, told the St. Cloud Times that Hansen was cleaning out a machine at the turkey processing plant when something became stuck in it. He got caught while trying to pull it out, she said. poden-Bolz said Hansen, whose birthday was Thursday, was a caring person who enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Company may face fine for not reporting death
GALVA, IL - An equipment rental company could face a fine for not notifying the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of an employee's death in the business Thursday. Patrick A. Dawson, 50, of Kewanee was pronounced dead Thursday morning at Appell Equipment Sales and Rentals just east of Galva after his head was pinned between the front right frame and a hydraulic mechanism on a skid loader he was driving. Dawson, who was alone at the time, died of head injuries. Henry County Deputy Coroner Carol Wiesman said the incident most likely will be labeled an industrial mishap. Barry Salerno, a supervisor with the Peoria-based OSHA office, said Friday no one from the business notified OSHA within the required eight hours after the incident. The company could face up to a $5,000 fine for failing to report the death, Salerno said. OSHA records did not show any history of problems at the company, he added. Salerno didn't learn about the death until Friday morning when he read about it in the newspaper. He then sent investigators to the business. Company representatives have declined to comment on the incident.
Ship worker dies; drugs found
Miami, FL - Federal authorities are investigating the death of a Caribbean Princess crewmember and the kilogram of heroin found in his cabin as the ship returned to Port Everglades from the eastern Caribbean. Valdemar Francisco Rosa, 30, of Portugal, was a waiter on the ship and appeared intoxicated when he reported to work Jan. 26, according to Broward Sheriff's Office reports released Friday. Less than two hours later, co-workers found him not breathing in his cabin, the reports said. The ship's medical staff performed CPR, but Rosa died. When authorities searched his cabin, two packages of heroin were found wrapped in a white T-shirt and stashed in the headboard, the reports said. When the ship docked about 6 a.m. on Jan. 28, the Sheriff's Office, FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents responded. According to the Sheriff's report, the Medical Examiner's Office said morphine was found in Rosa's system. An autopsy performed Sunday determined Rosa died from an accidental drug overdose, the report and the Medical Examiner's Office said. The FBI is investigating Rosa's death, and ICE is investigating the kilo of heroin.
Tractor trailer truck driver was killed
MIDDLESEX, VT - An unidentified tractor trailer truck driver was killed Sunday evening in an Interstate 89 crash that shut down part of the interstate for hours. Snow and rain iced roads, sent cars skidding off highways and kept police, rescue and highway crews busy around the region. The Volvo tractor trailer truck splayed partway across Interstate 89 in Middlesex, wiping out guardrails and flopping its trailer down an embankment. Police said the accident involved a "possible amputation" and indications at the scene were that the driver was ejected from the cab of the truck.
Zoo worker killed by bear
Flora, IL - An 80-year-old worker at a shuttered Downstate petting zoo died Wednesday after being mauled by one of the zoo's black bears, the Clay County sheriff's office said Thursday. Even though the Spotted Acres farm and petting zoo just outside Flora, about 100 miles east of St. Louis, was closed to the public a couple of years ago, Tom Phillips, 80, of Rinard, worked there most days, cleaning cages and feeding a menagerie of animals that included bears, camels and ostriches, said Deb Phillips, a daughter-in-law. On Wednesday evening, the farm's owner, Judy Briscoe, summoned Phillips back to work because one of the black bears had escaped its cage, the daughter-in-law said. Phillips arrived back at the farm and got out of his truck, holding a bag of dog food.
Officer Who Died On The Job Is Laid To Rest
Brooklyn, NY - Family and friends paid tribute Thursday to a police officer whose sudden collapse and death in the line of duty last week still remains a mystery. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was among those who delivered a speech at Officer Kevin Lee's funeral in Brooklyn. Lee collapsed Friday while trying to arrest a robbery suspect on the Upper East Side. The cause of the 31-year-old officer's death is still unclear. Autopsy results are pending.
Man Killed While Taking A Break On Railroad Tracks
Industry, CA - A man was killed around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday when he was struck by a freight train as he sat on his tracks during a break from his job. Sgt. Dean Scoville of the Sheriff's Industry Station said that the accident occured near Valley Boulevard and Vineland Avenue in Industry A truck driver twice saw the man sitting on the tracks and a westbound Union Pacific freight train coming at him. The driver honked his horn, but it was too late. "He was caught by the cowcatcher of the train and was propelled about half the length of a football field," Scoville said. The man's body was found under the train's engine.
Deaths in Calif. Shootings Rise to Eight
Goleta, CA - The ex-postal worker who authorities say committed the nation's bloodiest shooting at a postal installation in nearly 20 years also has been linked to the killing of a former neighbor. The body of Beverly Graham, 54, was found in her condominium a day after authorities say Jennifer San Marco opened fire inside the mail sorting center where she once worked. Another woman wounded in the rampage died Wednesday, bringing the death toll to eight, including San Marco. "The shell casings found match those found at the postal distribution center," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Anderson told reporters. He said Graham's neighbors told authorities they heard the sound of gunfire between 7:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Monday night. Beginning at 9 p.m., authorities said, San Marco shot six postal employees and committed suicide at the Santa Barbara Processing and Distribution Center. Five of her victims died shortly after the attack, and the sixth Charlotte Colton, 44, of Santa Barbara died Wednesday morning. In addition to Colton and Graham, the victims were identified as Ze Fairchild, 37, and Maleka Higgins, 28, both of Santa Barbara; Nicola Grant, 42, and Guadalupe Swartz, 52, both of Lompoc; and Dexter Shannon, 57, of Oxnard. Anderson said it wasn't clear if the killings were racially motivated. The victims at the postal center included several minorities. Graham, who relatives said had argued with San Marco more than two years earlier, was white.
Trench safety scrutinized in worker's death
Bloomfield Hills, MI - In an instant, the wall of wet, doughy dirt gave way Wednesday afternoon, filling the long, narrow trench, and burying 29-year-old Roberto Alvarez-Nava alive -- 9 feet into the ground. There was no warning, no screaming, no last words, said Robert Brand, owner of the Walled Lake landscape company Robert R. Brand's Environments that employed Alvarez-Nava. Brand said he dialed 911 on a cell phone and he and his four other employees at the Bloomfield Hills residence started digging. But it was a futile effort. More than five hours later, Alvarez-Nava's body was pulled from dark soil by firefighters from a half-dozen municipalities.
Contractor killed
Pittsburgh, PA - A Kennedy demolition contractor was killed in an explosion while cutting a metal wheel with a blow torch, police said Thursday. Jack Sobeck, 52, died instantly around 6 p.m. Wednesday, when a piece of metal struck his head in the blast. Police said they did not suspect foul play. Sobeck was cutting a two-foot metal wheel for scrap metal on his father's land, Kennedy police chief Tony Bruni said. The torch heated grease packed around a bearing inside the wheel, causing it to explode, Bruni said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death an accident.
Four killed in plane crash
Palwaukee, IL - The president and founder of Sybaris Club International, a restaurant manager and two financial advisers have been identified as the four people killed when a twin-engine propeller aircraft heading toward Palwaukee Municipal Airport crashed behind an industrial building about a half-mile southwest of the airport Monday evening. Rande Repke, Sybaris vice president, said Ken Knudson of Lake Zurich was on the plane with business associates returning from a trip to Kansas when the plane went down. "Ken was very charismatic," Repke said Tuesday. "He loved life and was very focused in everything he did." Colleagues confirmed Morgan Stanley employees Mark Turek, 59, of Winnetka, and Scott Garland, 40, of Chicago, also were killed in the crash along with Michael Waugh, the general manager at Joe's Stone Crab restaurant in Chicago.
This Has Got to Stop
MADISON, WV — It’s becoming a too-common sight in West Virginia: On Thursday, two small white crosses marked the lawn of the Boone County Courthouse, one for Edmund Vance of Bim and one for Paul Moss of Sissonville. Both miners died on the job in Boone County the day before.
It is the first time death has touched Boone County’s mines during these fatal first weeks of 2006. But here in the center of the Mountain State’s coal industry, they have grieved for every miner lost.
Four weeks ago, this same spot held 12 crosses, one for each miner who died in the Sago disaster in Upshur County. Two weeks ago, there were two crosses, for the two miners who died in a Logan County coal mine fire.
“This,” County Administrator Jim Gore said of the rash of mine deaths, “has got to stop.”
Fatal mine had history of citations
Salt Lake City, UT - Incident 9 years ago similar to weekend accident near Price. More than nine years ago, while deep inside Carbon County's Aberdeen mine, Shane Hackney felt the concussion of an explosion. Hackney and another man retrieved medical supplies and rushed to the site of where coal under pressure had burst from a wall being mined. There he found his foreman injured in the blast, and began giving him CPR. His efforts were in vain: Bret Robertson died. On Sunday night, a similar incident occurred in the same mine. This time, a coal burst took the life of Hackney's 37-year-old brother-in-law, Shane Jacobson, a well-known Helper resident and a father of three.
1,000 gather to honor guard killed on duty
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A Maryland correctional officer shot while guarding an inmate is remembered as a man who "helped begin the day with a smile and a kind word" and "genuinely cared about people." More than 1,000 correctional officers, state troopers, sheriff's deputies and other police from several states converged on this small town about 20 miles west of Hagerstown yesterday to honor a fallen comrade. They came for the funeral of Jeffery Alan Wroten, 44, a father of five who was shot in the head last week at a Western Maryland hospital, allegedly by an inmate who had been sent there for treatment of a self-inflicted injury.
No charges in hotel killing
Concord, NH - Death a homicide, not necessarily a crime. No charges have been filed in the January death of a Gilmanton man that was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner. Kevin Descoteaux, 43, of Gilmanton Iron Works, was found unconscious in a Hanover motel room on Jan. 17. He and other construction workers had been staying at the Chieftain Motor Inn while working on a building site nearby. Descoteaux died later that week at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. According to an autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner, the cause was blunt impact to the head with subdural hematoma, contusions and herniation of the brain. The night before he was found, Descoteaux was involved in a fight with a coworker in a common area of the Chieftain Motor Inn, according to Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaccone. Other coworkers witnessed the incident, Giaccone said. It is unclear whether anything happened to Descoteaux after the fight and before he was found unconscious.
Vegas Officer Dies In Shooting, Another Wounded
Las Vegas, NV (AHN) - One police officer is dead, another wounded, during an altercation with a suspect Wednesday. Authorities report the officer was shot to death when a man suspected of beating a woman with a stick suddenly opened fire on the officers. The shooting suspect, Amir Crump, 22, was also killed. Another officer, whose name has not been released, was wounded, and remains in stable condition. Sgt. Henry Prendes, 37, is the first Las Vegas officer to die in the line of duty in 18 years. He was a 14-year police veteran. According to police, gunfire broke out about 1:20 p.m. after officers were called to a home where a man was reportedly beating a woman and smashing windows out of the house.
He Was Doing What He Loved - Grottoes Man Dies After Being Hit While Working On Traffic Signal
GROTTOES, VA — Traffic signals will always hold a special place in Mollie Thomas’ heart. The lights hanging above intersections all over town were special instruments to her son, Justin. "Ever since he was little, [fixing] traffic signals was what he wanted to do," the mother said. "He collected them, he’d sell some of them. That was his life." Justin Thomas, 19, of Grottoes died late Tuesday night at the University of Virginia Medical Center. His death came almost a week after he was injured on the job, working on a traffic signal. Virginia State Police Sgt. C.W. Murphy said a tractor-trailer clipped the elevated bucket Thomas was in at Main and Lee streets in Broadway last Thursday. Thomas worked for Richardson-Wayland Electrical Corp. of Roanoke. The company contracts with the Virginia Department of Transportation for some assignments.
Construction Worker Killed In Accident Identified
OMAHA, Neb. -- A construction worker was critically injured Wednesday morning after getting hit in the head with a pipe, authorities said. He was taken to a hospital, but died of his injuries. He was identified as Alfredo Espinoza-Lagurnas, 43, of Lincoln. According Omaha police, it happened at the old Kimball Laundry Building at 1502 Jones. At about 8:15 a.m., a pipe either fell or was dropped on the worker. The construction crew was removing asbestos.
Worker dies in industrial accident
Joplin, MO - A Joplin man was killed Monday in an industrial accident at a concrete block manufacturing plant. Jasper County Coroner Jerry Neil said Richard W. Hughey, 44, was working at Joplin Building Material Co. when a pallet loaded with concrete blocks got jammed on a conveyer that stacks the blocks. He said that when Hughey and a co-worker tried to lift the pallet to free the conveyer, it slipped and fell, striking him in the head and arm. Hughey was dead at the scene.
OSHA to probe oil rig accident
Williston, ND - The Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) has been called in to probe the oil rig site where an accident Sunday resulted in the death of Zachary Anderson, 20, of Williston. According to Burke County Sheriff Barry Jager, around 10:45 a.m., Anderson was joining pipes on a platform at the rig site about 30 to 35 feet above the ground. “It appears one of the pipe joints got stuck, and it basically threw the victim onto the side of the rig,” Jager said. “The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.” The rig is owned by Pioneer Drilling. Assisting at the scene were the Bowbells Ambulance Service, Bowbells Crash and Rescue and the Burke County Sheriff.
Police: Repairman Dies In Fall From Wendy's Roof
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Homicide detectives are calling Wednesday's death of an air conditioning repairman at a Wendy's Restaurant on the Southside an industrial accident. According to police, James Robinson, 32, of Glen St. Marys, Fla., fell from the roof of the restaurant in the 3600 block of St. Johns Bluff Road. According to police, he was on the roof working on an air conditioner about 11 a.m. when the accident occurred. "We're not certain how he fell off the room -- whether he tripped. We don't know," Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Sgt. Sharon Scott said. Robinson, an employee of B G Refrigeration, died of head injuries at Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center. A compliance officer with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was called to the scene to investigate.
Coroner investigating industrial accident
Sandy Springs, SC - Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore is investigating last week's accident at the Michelin Tire Corp. to determine if it's linked to death of one of the plant's workers. Paul Farmer Sr., 42, died Thursday at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta after he was transported there Monday from the plant, which is located on U.S. 76 in Sandy Springs. The coroner said Mr. Farmer was sprayed with 180-degree water while he was working on machinery. The water burned the victim's left hand, wrist and part of the forearm, Mr. Shore said. Mr. Farmer suffered mostly first-degree burns and some second-degree burns. But three days later, Mr. Farmer was pronounced dead at the burn center in Augusta. According to medical records, Mr. Farmer had other health problems and that history is likely what led to his death - not the injuries from the accident, Mr. Shore said. But the coroner said he has requested records from the burn center and will review them today to see if the injury played a role in his death.
Cave-in claims Atmore man's life
Wetumpka, AL -- Most people can remember when Atmore native Harold Scott started his plumbing business in 1998. All he had was a red pickup truck, a shovel and his best friend, Daniel Weaver, as his lone employee. His work ethic and friendly business tactics were celebrated throughout town Friday as his now 15-man crew, customers and community members mourned his tragic death. Scott, 34, was killed at 12:30 p.m. Thursday after the walls of a hole he was running pipe in caved in around him and buried him alive while he was working in Wetumpka. "He would never have his men do something that he wouldn't do, that's why he was in that hole," Scott's sister Ronda Scott said Friday afternoon as she fought back tears. "He wasn't even supposed to go to Wetumpka Thursday, but they wanted to have the job finished so they didn't have to go back next week."Scott, owner of Southern Plumbing, had been working outside the Riverside Entertainment Center, a gaming facility owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Long Island man killed on the job working a tugboat in the Hudson
MARLBORO, N.Y. A Nassau County man has been killed when he fell off his tugboat between two barges in the Hudson River and was crushed. The Ulster County Sheriff's department says the accident happened around two a-m Sunday off the shores of Marlboro. The sheriff's department says 57-year-old Lawrence Bennett of Nassau County was able to radio to his crewmates that he fell into the water. But in the brief minutes that it took for his co-workers to get to him - he was crushed between two barges the tugs were moving.
Columbia attorney charged with killing nightclub manager
COLUMBIA, S.C. - A 62-year-old attorney has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a nightclub manager minutes after he had been kicked out of the club, authorities say. H. Dewain Herring was arrested at his home a few hours after the early Sunday morning shooting, but not before he pointed a gun at deputies who shot back, wounding him in the arm, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. Employees at Chastity's Gold Club, which bills itself as an "upscale, totally nude gentlemen's club," asked Herring to leave after he took off his clothes, according to an incident report. Club security kicked Herring out, but not before he argued about his bar tab and said he would return and cause trouble, according to the report. Surveillance cameras in the club's parking lot showed Herring get into his car, then showed a flash from a gun as the vehicle leaves the area, Lott said. The shot went through the front door, striking 32-year-old manager John H. Johnson Jr. in the head, Lott said.
Worker killed in explosion at asphalt plant
CHICAGO, IL - Chicago firefighters say a tank explosion at an asphalt plant on the city's West Side has killed one worker. The explosion early yesterday afternoon at the Gardner Asphalt Corporation plant involved one of the facility's four outdoor asphalt tanks, which are each about 30 feet tall. The worker, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was not publicly identified because his family had not been notified yesterday.
Construction worker crushed to death near Oceana
Virginia Beach, VA -A construction worker was snatched up by a mammoth rock-crushing machine near Oceana Naval Air Station on Friday afternoon and was crushed to death, authorities said. The 31-year-old man, whose name was not released, was working on Navy property in the 2000 block of Potters Road at about 3:30 p.m. A machine that was breaking up an old runway across from the base malfunctioned, said Chief Bruce Nedelka of the Virginia Beach Department of Emergency Medical Services. The man was caught in the machine's conveyor belt and crushed.
Shooting of lawyer highlights job's risks
Greenwood, MS - Being a trial lawyer - a good trial lawyer - brings with it certain risks. The shooting death Monday of Greenwood attorney Richard Benz Jr. serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of the profession. Benz, 44, was gunned down as he and his wife relaxed in their den. The assailant escaped after firing through the window of the couple's home near Schlater. Benz died at Greenwood Leflore Hospital about 2 hours later. He suffered wounds to his back and chest. Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks believes the gunman was angry at Benz. Sometimes that's the case when emotions run high during litigation, said private practice attorney Lee Abraham. "I'm afraid in litigation, domestic and civil litigation, you run into situations that bring about hostilities, particularly from people on the other side," the Greenwood attorney said.
DPS security officer dies unexpectedly
Providence, RI - Officer Jay Ducharme, who began serving in September 2004 as a security officer in the Department of Public Safety, died suddenly Wednesday morning. Ducharme was undergoing training at the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy to become a campus police officer at Brown, according to an e-mail sent to the University community Thursday afternoon by DPS Chief of Police Mark Porter and Vice President of Administration Walter Hunter. "Officer Ducharme's death is a tragic loss to our Department of Public Safety, and we will always remain grateful for his service to our campus community.
Kauai's Wet Roads Cause First Fatality
Kalaheo, HI - On Kauai, a National Tropical Botanical Gardens employee is dead after the truck he was driving hit a boulder. Edward Robinson, 75, was driving the company truck on a service road through the gardens yesterday in Kalaheo when it happened. Police investigators believe the truck slid off the wet road, sliding into the boulder. A co-worker was also in the truck during the accident. She's now recovering from head injuries at Wilcox Hospital.
Domino's worker killed in crash
ANDOVER TWP, NJ -- Police are investigating a fatal accident in front of the Domino's Pizza on Route 616 shortly after 2:30 p.m. today. A 59-year-old Domino's employee was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the driver was stopped, waiting to make a left turn into the entrance of Domino's, when he was hit from behind by another vehicle, which caused his vehicle to roll into oncoming traffic. His vehicle was struck by a third vehicle, which caused him to be ejected from his vehicle. After the accident, the Domino's shop closed for the day, and will reopen today at 11 a.m. The accident also is under investigation by the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office and the Sussex County Fatal Accident Response Team.
Car wash worker kills another in crash
NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ - An employee at a borough car wash was killed Tuesday morning when a co-worker who was moving a van struck him and dragged him through a parking lot, police said. The apparent accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. at Stony Brook Car Wash. Police said borough resident Melguer Antonio Pivaral, 34, an employee there, evidently was moving the vehicle after it had been cleaned when a co-worker, whose name was not released, stepped in front of him. The vehicle hit the man, crashed through a fence, struck a tree and came to rest on top of him.
Construction Worker Hit, Killed By Pickup Truck
DEL CERRO, Calif. -- A construction worker was killed Thursday morning by a 61-year-old woman driving a small pickup truck, 10News reported. Officers said the unidentified woman was driving her 1994 Nissan pickup down Crystalaire Drive in Del Cerro when the worker walked into the street. The man in his 30s suffered major head injuries and died at the scene. The woman said she was blinded by the morning sun. She was not speeding and police said she was not at fault. She was not cited and was allowed to drive away, according to 10News
Elementary Janitor Shot Dead In Apparent Attempted Robbery
READING, Pa. -- An elementary school janitor was shot to death on the street about three blocks from his home in what police said they believe was an attempted robbery. Brian Frymoyer, 39, was shot twice at about 10 p.m. Friday and pronounced dead at Reading Hospital, authorities said. An autopsy Sunday at Lehigh Valley Hospital determined that he died of the gunshot wounds, Berks County Deputy Coroner Christopher Chesonis said. Police, who did not say whether anything was stolen, said they had no suspects. Sgt. John Solecki said police have not found any witnesses, but believe the shooting likely occurred during a robbery. "Some people who knew him said that was his route home every night," Solecki said. "I can't believe this happened to my brother," said Barry Frymoyer. "He was a real kind guy, and he'd do anything for anybody." Barry Suski, director of facilities and operations for the Reading School District, said Frymoyer had worked for the district for a dozen years. "It's devastating," Suski said. "Not just because he was a school district employee, but here's a guy making an honest living walking down the street on his way home from work and somebody takes his life. It's bad for all of us."
Worker fatally shot during robbery attempt
Dallas, TX - A Dallas man was fatally shot Sunday as he scuffled with a gunman during an attempted holdup at a construction site, police said. Juan Silva, 36, died after the shooting in the 700 block of Packard Street, authorities said. Silva was among a group of workers renovating the home, police said. About 1:30 p.m., Silva and three other workers answered a knock at the door and were confronted by the gunman, who demanded money, said Sgt. Gil Cerda, a Dallas police spokesman. Silva was fatally wounded when the man fired a shot as he tried to leave, Cerda said. The gunman drove away in a green 1990s model Ford Mustang, Cerda said. Silva died at Methodist Medical Center, Cerda said.
Gassville police officer fatally shot
Gassville, AR -- A man suspected of killing a Gassville police officer died early Sunday morning at a Springfield, Mo., hospital where he had been flown following a shootout with Arkansas State Police and Baxter County Sheriff's office personnel in downtown Norfork. Also killed in the shootout was the 18-year-old man's passenger.
Arkansas State Police identified the dead officer as Jim Sell, 63.
“At approximately 2:33 p.m. Saturday the Gassville Police officer made a traffic stop on a green car with out-of-state license plates at the Brass Door, 621 E. Main St., here in Gassville,” said Gassville Police Investigator Scott Thrasher. “It was unknown why the officer stopped the vehicle. He was shot approximately two times by what appeared to be a 9-mm handgun from one of the occupants of the vehicle. He died approximately 30 minutes later at Baxter Regional Medical Center. This is an open homicide investigation. There is another scene in the county.”
One person killed when building collapses in Holyoke
HOLYOKE Mass. -- One person died and four others were hurt when an unoccupied building in downtown Holyoke partially collapsed on Thursday.
The condemned brick building on Main Street was in the process of being demolished and workers from the demolition company, Associated Building Wreckers Inc., were on the fourth floor, said Police Lt. Michael McCoy.
Part of the wall and floor collapsed at about 1 p.m., sending the workers to the third floor, McCoy said. They were rescued by Holyoke firefighters. Both were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where one was pronounced dead, McCoy said.
Worker killed when radio tower falls
LAGUNA VISTA, Texas -- A 33-year-old man working on a state transportation department radio tower in South Texas is dead after the tower fell on him.
Cameron County sheriff's officials say Candelario Duque worked for Western Towers of San Angelo. They say the San Angelo man was working on replacing the tower on State Highway 100, near Laguna Vista, when the tower fell yesterday afternoon.
Investigators still haven't determined what caused the accident. But the National Weather Service reported sustained winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour with gusts of 40 to 45 miles per hour in the area.
Worker dies in construction accident in Stony Point
STONY POINT, NY — A 33-year-old worker died an hour after being struck yesterday by an excavator digging outside a house on Captain Faldermeyer Court.
Thomas Collins of Garnerville was hit by the excavator's bucket and forced into the side of the house about 11 a.m., Stony Point police Lt. Brian Moore said yesterday.
"They were excavating, and the machine was digging up dirt and rotating back and forth on its tracks when the bucket hit him," Moore said. "He was temporarily pinned against the side of the house."
Firefighter Dies After Blaze
Atlanta, IL -- Authorities say a 42-year-old volunteer for the Atlanta, Illinois Fire Department died early Sunday after falling ill while fighting a house fire in Waynesville.
The Atlanta Fire Department was assisting the Waynesville Fire Protection District at the house fire late Friday when Roger Armstrong of Atlanta complained of not feeling well.
Atlanta Fire Chief Rick Cheek says he sent Armstrong to an ambulance for help. Armstrong was taken to BroMenn Regional Medical Center and later was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Town mourns farmer killed by charging bull
BREESE, MO -- It was a daily routine: Matt Hilmes and his son Brandon working together, feeding their herd of Holstein cattle.
The sun had gone behind the flat horizon of farmland and the two were ready to call it a day on Wednesday. But as Matt Hilmes crossed the pen and headed for the gate, a bull charged and pinned him against a wall. Brandon Hilmes -- with none of the hesitation you might expect from an 11-year-old -- rushed to help. Standing just 4 feet 11, Brandon drove a tractor straight for the bull, using the scoop to scare off the 2,000-pound animal.
He then pushed his father's broken body into the bucket and rumbled back to the farmhouse where family members called an ambulance. That evening, Matt Hilmes was airlifted from St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese to St. Louis University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 39.
Worker killed in radio tower fall
Branson, MO -- A radio tower collapsed during construction Saturday in Hollister, killing an Oklahoma man who was working on the structure.
According to the Hollister Police Department, Michael Wilkerson, 21, of Lawson, Okla., suffered fatal injuries when an AM radio tower he was working on toppled over at approximately 10 a.m.
Hollister Police Chief Darren Parker said Wilkerson was atop the tower, between 80 and 100 feet high, when it fell.
“They were putting up the second section when the tower collapsed,” he said.
City Assistant Administrator Vonnie Mathiesen said one of the cables securing the tower was struck by a bulldozer, apparently causing the collapse.
SMUD worker crushed in accident
EL DORADO COUNTY, CA -- A SMUD employee was killed on the job Monday morning when a piece of heavy equipment fell on him east of Pollock Pines in the Crystal Basin area, authorities said.
Arthur Verbeck, 58, was loading heavy snow-removal equipment onto a trailer at a Sacramento Municipal Utility District water-storage pond near Loon Lake, 20 miles north of Highway 50, said sheriff's Lt. Marc Adams. Verbeck, an El Dorado County resident, was pinned under the equipment and pronounced dead at the scene at 11:40 a.m., Adams said.
Man dies from fall at BWI Airport
Linthicum, MD -- A construction worker died yesterday after he and another worker fell in a 20-foot-deep hole Monday night at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, airport officials said.
Benjamin Kirk Locust died after being taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie. The cause of death was not immediately available.
Airport spokesman Jonathan Dean said the accident happened just before 5 p.m. at the airport's north cargo complex. It took about an hour for airport firefighters to pull Mr. Locust from the hole. The other man was not hurt as badly and was able to crawl out.
Worker fatally shot at Chandler company
Chandler, AZ -- A 29-year-old man was killed in a workplace shooting at a Chandler sign-manufacturing company Thursday morning.
Sign painter Benjamin Marquez-Valenzuela, 29 of Phoenix, was shot in the head in a painting bay in the manufacturing area of Young Electric Sign Co. near 56th Street and Chandler Boulevard.
Police arrested Marquez-Valenzuela's nephew, 21-year-old Oscar Valenzuela, at the sign company, said Chandler police Sgt. Rick Griner. The suspect also worked at the company and police believe he lived with the victim. advertisement
Illinois Truck Crash Kills Six People
MARION, Ill. -- A tractor-trailer veered into oncoming traffic on a highway in southern Illinois and slammed head-on into a pickup truck, killing six people, authorities said Thursday.
The dead included two adults and three children in the pickup. The rig's driver also was killed in the crash Wednesday evening in a construction zone on Interstate 57 near Marion.
Man killed in accident at Irish Dam; Worker hit by excavator
Grafton, MA -- An Erving man was killed yesterday in an industrial accident on Irish Dam on Flint Pond, according to the Worcester district attorney's office.
Elizabeth Stammo, a spokeswoman for Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte, said Timothy Kucenski, 31, of Erving was killed when he was apparently struck by an excavator, according to preliminary indications.
The state-owned dam was undergoing repairs. Calls reporting the accident came in around 10 a.m. Mr. Kucenski's body, covered by a sheet, could be seen from a bridge on nearby Creeper Hill Road lying along a walkway above the dam. Flint Pond is fed by Lake Quinsigamond in nearby Shrewsbury.
Wood-Mode worker killed
KREAMER, PA — A Juniata County woman was killed when she was hit by a tractor-trailer Thursday morning as she tried to run across Route 522 at Wood-Mode Inc. in Middlecreek Township.
State troopers at the accident scene said Lisa Ann Jacobs, 46, of Mifflintown, a Wood-Mode employee, was one of two people who were walking across the highway at 6:45 a.m.
One of them saw the truck and decided to wait to allow it to pass, but Ms. Jacobs tried to run across the highway in front of the truck, troopers said. It was still not daylight. The driver of the truck, John Calvin Firestone, 42, of Shamokin, swerved off the road in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid hitting her.
Citizens Gas worker dies in accident
Indianapolis, IN - A Citizens Gas employee died in a rail car accident at the company's coke plant on the south side of Indianapolis.
Fifty-five-year-old Lawrence Bennett died at Wishard Hospital Thursday afternoon. He was a veteran coal loader with Citizens Gas.
Witnesses told police three rail cars broke loose. The brakemen tried to stop them. When Bennett tried to help, he fell between the wheels and one of the cars hit him.
Utahn dies in mine
PRICE, UT -- The latest tragedy to hit America's coal mines happened in Utah late Sunday night.
Shane Jacobson, 37, of Helper, was killed when he was struck by a piece of flying coal in a freak accident inside the Aberdeen Mine, just outside of Price, about 11 p.m. Sunday.
"You just don't think it's gonna happen to you. We know every day when they go to work that that could happen, and it does happen, but you just don't think it's gonna be you," Jacobson's wife, Wende, told KSL-TV.
A machine being used to conduct long-wall mining was cutting coal from the wall of the mine about 2,700 feet underground, causing the coal pieces to drop onto a conveyor belt. It's one of the deepest mines in the country, according to the Utah Geological Survey.
But the machine hit a few coal pieces where so much tension had built up that they sprang from the wall, flying horizontally rather than dropping straight down, Andalex Resources Inc. President Doug Smith said. Andalex owns the Aberdeen Mine. "The coal was under pressure," he said. One of those flying pieces struck and killed Jacobson.
Milliken man dies in sand accident
Greeley, CO -- A 24-year-old Milliken man died Wednesday morning after being crushed in a vat of sand at an oil well site northeast of Greeley.
Joshua Arvidson, an employee with CalFrac Well Services in Platteville, fell into a large hopper-like vat filled with 48,000 pounds of sand around 10:30 a.m., according to Weld County Sheriff's spokeswoman Margie Martinez. The well site is located near Weld County roads 45 and 70 in Galeton, Martinez said.
"The sand sucked him down and literally crushed him," Martinez said.
It is not known how Arvidson fell in the sand at the site, but sheriff's investigators do not suspect foul play, Martinez said.
Firefighter killed in Rt. 80 crash
PARSIPPANY, NJ -- A longtime Picatinny Arsenal employee who came to work at midnight Monday to clear snow and ice was returning home to Butler when he was killed in a car crash on Route 80, authorities said.
Paul Rattalino Jr., 47, a lifelong Butler resident and 23-year volunteer firefighter at Bartholdi Hose Company No. 2, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 12:29 p.m. accident in Parsippany.
Bedford man dies in accident; Perry killed while working at part-time job
Bedford, IN - Joseph Perry of Bedford is remembered as a man who had a smile on his face and enjoyed his job at Indiana Limestone Co. Perry, 38, died Saturday while working at a part-time job on a trash route with a family business. “He always had a smile on his face, no matter what,” said his sister-in-law, Penny Perry. “If he was mad, he was still smiling.” Joe Perry graduated from Owen Valley High School in Spencer in 1986 and moved to the Bedford area several years ago. He spent a lot of time with his family: wife, Lillie Perry, and children, Glenna and Andrew Perry, Penny Perry said. He also was active at Faith Mission Church, where he served as a Sunday school superintendent and an usher. Joe Perry had worked at Indiana Limestone Co. for about a year, Penny Perry said. He also would help, whenever asked, with his brother-in-law's business. That's what he was doing Saturday, when he was working on a trash truck in Johnson County. “It would appear that he slipped off the back of the garbage truck while the driver was backing the truck off of South Jurist Lane in Lambs Lake (in southern Johnson County),” according to a Johnson County Sheriff's Department news release. “Evidence would suggest that Perry may have been reaching for an item in the compactor when he slipped and fell off the back of the garbage truck.”
Four people arrested in robbery, killing
Milwaukee, WI - Four people have been arrested in the botched December robbery of a northwest side restaurant in which a cashier was fatally shot. Two 18-year-old men and a 26-year-old woman, all of Milwaukee, and a 20-year-old man from Brown Deer were arrested Sunday in the attempted armed robbery of Wong's Kitchen, 9201 W. Capitol Drive, Milwaukee police Capt. Eric Moore said. An employee of the restaurant, Michael R. Tabbert, 45, was fatally shot in the robbery attempt. Three men wearing masks or covering their faces with articles of clothing rushed into the restaurant about 5:15 p.m. Dec. 28, demanding money. A getaway driver waited in a car out front, Moore said.
Key West Police Department
Key West, FL - Key West Police Officer John Piskator, 41, collapsed and died Monday afternoon while jogging on Duck Avenue with the department’s Special Response Team, Chief Bill Mauldin announced. Colleagues immediately administered CPR, which was continued in an ambulance en route to Lower Keys Medical Center hospital where the officer was declared dead at 2:32 p.m., Mauldin said. The cause of his death was believed to be cardiac arrest.