A partial list of workers killed on the job over the past two weeks.
Martinsville man dies on the job in Henry County
Martinsville, VA -- Local and federal authorities are investigating a fatal industrial accident in Henry County. It happened around 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 17 at Knauss Snack Food in the Beaver Creek Industrial Park. Officials say 19-year-old Francisco Alejandro Garcia fell into a processing machine and died. Garcia was a contract employee responsible for cleaning the machines that night.
Worker Dies After Electrocution At Gravel Pit
FORT LUPTON, Colo The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the death of a man who was electrocuted while working at a gravel pit north of Fort Lupton.
Weld County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Margie Martinez says 30-year-old Christopher Carder of Littleton was pronounced dead at the scene yesterday, but his heart started beating again.
Coroner's officials say he was flown to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Martinez says Carder was walking beside an industrial-sized piece of equipment when it got close enough to a power line, causing it to arc and send electricity to the ground. He was nearby and was electrocuted.
The gravel pit is owned by Compass Environmental Incorporated.
Oil field roustabout dies in fall
Mobile, AL - Federal and local authorities are looking into incident that claimed life of Carey Clemons. A man died after falling 75 feet from a Clarke County oil rig as rescue workers struggled to get to the scene, hampered by washed-out roads. A LifeFlight helicopter based in Mobile was initially called for Carey Clemons, 23, but he died on the scene before it arrived, said Virgil Chapman, chief investigator with the Clarke County Sheriff's Department. The incident occurred Friday. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating to see if any workplace violations contributed to the incident, Ken Atha, lower Alabama's area director for OSHA, said on Monday. The investigation could take months.
Worker in Brooklyn Dies as a Wall Falls
Brooklyn, NY - A construction worker was killed yesterday morning when a garage wall collapsed at a building site in Brooklyn, investigators said, and the city has cited the building's owner for three violations. The worker, Anthony Duncan, 46, was removing wooden molds for an underpinning meant to buttress a garage wall next to the construction site at 733 Ocean Parkway when the wall collapsed. Firefighters worked quickly to remove the debris covering Mr. Duncan. But investigators believe he was killed by the impact of the collapse, said a Fire Department spokesman, Deputy Chief David Jakubowski. A woman who answered the phone at the A-1 Construction Expo Corporation, a Brooklyn-based general contractor at the site, said Mr. Duncan worked for a subcontractor, but she would not provide its name. Mr. Duncan was helping to excavate the property to make way for an eight-story residential building.
Dairy Worker, Son Found Dead
Grangevile, CA - A dairy worker and his 8-year-old son died in a manure pit after going out at night to feed calves at the dairy where they lived, authorities said Tuesday. Luis Gutierrez, 27, and his son, Luis Armando Gutierrez, left their home Saturday night to check on the animals, investigators said. When they didn't come back, worried family members contacted authorities and the owners of Contente Dairy in Grangeville. During an all-night search, investigators found Luis Gutierrez's stalled pickup truck. Deputies believe the father and son got out of the truck and tried to take a shortcut home, stumbling across the manure pond. Footprints and signs of slipping near the edge of the 10-footdeep pit indicate that one of them may have fallen in, said Kings Country Sheriff Allan McClain.
Worker Dies In Accident At Building Site In Muskogee
Muskogee, OK - A Vian man was killed in an industrial accident in Muskogee Wednesday morning. It happened at the Dal-Tile plant in Muskogee. Authorities say 30-year-old Steven Tracy Conrad was trapped in a conveyer-belt chute. Conrad was freed, but showed no signs of life. No one else was hurt. Conrad was a temporary worker for Express Personnel Services in Muskogee. He worked at the plant for about two months.
Riverside woman killed in crash - Police seek driver, may issue warrant
Riverside, IL - Police Tuesday morning were still hunting for the driver of an SUV that slammed into a Berwyn train platform last Friday, killing a Riverside woman who worked for the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad. The crash occurred at approximately 5:45 a.m. on March 3, shortly after Kathleen Talmage, 58, arrived for work at the train platform located at 7135 W. Windsor Ave., a half block east of Harlem Avenue. Talmage was a long-time Riverside resident. According to one eyewitness account, the 2004 Range Rover sped past him westbound down Windsor Avenue, flew up an earth berm on the station’s east side and rammed through a brick wall without the driver ever applying his brakes. "I was on my way to work when I saw him coming westbound," said a man named Phil, who lives in the 7100 block of Windsor Avenue. He declined to give his last name.
Robbers killed 2 for 'less than a couple hundred dollars'
El Cajon, CA - “Less than a couple of hundred dollars.” That's what two robbers who shot and killed two young liquor store workers last week got away with, according to Auday Arabo, president of the California Independent Grocers and Convenience Stores Association. Arabo spoke at a news conference in front of St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Church on Jamacha Way on Wednesday morning as hundreds of friends and relatives came together to mourn victims Heather Nabil Mattia, 22, and Firas Waahid Eiso, 23, who were shot to death the night of March 1 at Granada Liquor on Broadway. Police said both were ordered to lie down and were killed by shots to the back of the head. As a light rain fell and several mourners wearing badges and T-shirts bearing Heather's picture gathered around, El Cajon Police Chief Clifford Diamond announced the release of portions of a surveillance video taken inside the store on the night of the slayings.
Police, OSHA Looking Into Roofer's Electrocution, Death
Aliquippa, PA - A 25-year-old roofer was killed Friday in when the scaffolding on which he was standing became charged by a piece of aluminum from some loose power lines nearby. Investigators said Regis Williams, 25, of Neville Island, was electrocuted, and fell about 30 feet. Friends and family said his death came as a complete shock. "'Rege' was the best guy I know," said cousin Jack Herbert. "'Rege' didn't have any acquaintances, everybody was (his) friend."
Worker at WPS dies from injuries
Green Bay, WI - A worker injured in an accident while working on a Green Bay building Feb. 28 died from his injuries March 3, according to his brother. Scott Walls, 41, Hartford, died at St. Vincent Hospital after being hit on the head with a metal object while working on equipment at a Wisconsin Public Service building at 600 N. Adams St. He never regained consciousness, said David Walls, Scott's brother, who lives in Green Bay. David Walls said the accident is still under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and McQuay International — the company that employed Scott Walls.
Watchung police officer killed when chase ends in crash
NORTH PLAINFIELD N.J. -- A Watchung police officer involved in a vehicle pursuit was killed Wednesday night when his cruiser crashed into a tree in North Plainfield after he swerved to avoid a minivan that had pulled out in front of him.
Matthew J. Melchiondia, 31, of Readington was the first officer killed in the line of duty in Somerset County in at least eight years. A six-year veteran of the force, he was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred around 5:20 p.m.
Truck wreck kills driver, shuts down U.S. 183
Lockhart, TX -- An 18-wheeler carrying propane flipped Thursday afternoon, killing the driver and shutting down a portion of U.S. 183 for hours, a Lockhart Police Department dispatcher said. About 2 p.m., the truck, carrying about 8,800 gallons of liquid propane, overturned about a mile north of Lockhart, said Lockhart Fire Marshal Mark Baker. Baker said none of the propane spilled and workers transferred the propane to another truck before clearing the road. A nearby day care and church were evacuated, Baker said. The identity of the driver was not released. No other vehicles were involved.
3 dead in Maui air ambulance crash
Maui, HI -- A pilot and two medical personnel died last night when a Hawaii Air Ambulance airplane crashed into a BMW dealership near Kahului Airport, state and county officials said.The twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed into the dealership near the Hana Highway at 7:15 p.m., state Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa said. There were no survivors on the plane and no reported injuries on the ground, officials said.Hawaii Air Ambulance identified the victims as: pilot Peter A. Miller, a 32-year-old Kailua resident; Brien P. Eisaman, 37, a nurse and Waipahu resident and the assistant chief flight nurse; and Marlena L. Yomes, a paramedic, Honolulu base station supervisor and a Waianae resident.
Trash worker killed by utility pole
Castle Shannon, PA - A refuse worker was killed yesterday when a utility pole fell on him in Castle Shannon in what the police chief called a "freak accident." Matthew Goldsmith, 28, of Hempfield, was pronounced dead around 10 a.m. at Walnut and Spruce streets near the library. Castle Shannon Police Chief Harold Lane said he believed Mr. Goldsmith died instantly. Mr. Goldsmith was standing on a platform at the rear of the garbage truck near the hopper when, investigators believe, the truck snagged a guy wire on the utility pole at the intersection as it turned right from Walnut onto Spruce.
Industrial Worker Killed After Equipment Falls
Ogden, UT - An industrial worker was killed Thursday afternoon when a piece of equipment suddenly fell on top of him. The incident happened near 1800 Wall Avenue in Ogden. Officials said 53-year-old Tony Guthrie was working near a front-loader when a bucket fell and landed on his head. He died at the scene. Guthrie was working for AAA Towing and Salvage when the accident happened. Friends said he was a self-less man. “He'd go out of his way to help anybody. He was very kind,” said Todd May. Officials said a mechanical problem may have been to blame.
Business owner dies from gunshot wounds
Dayton, OH - Gary L. Shehee, shot three times in his West Third Street business on Tuesday afternoon by an armed intruder, died about 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Miami Valley Hospital. Shehee, 34, is the city's 10th homicide victim this year. Two employees in the store told Dayton police a gunman entered the rear of Tees & Things, 1710 W. Third and that Shehee and the intruder wrestled down the back stairs. A male employee heard Shehee scream and looked down the stairs to see the gunman aiming his weapon at the employee. Three shots were heard. Shehee was struck in the arm, hand and head. Police believe Shehee and the assailant knew each other.
Pa. man dies in farm accident
Wellsboro, PA - A Tioga Township man became entangled in a cable attached to a tractor's power takeoff and died of massive injuries early this afternoon. Tioga County Medical Examiner Dr. James L. Wilson of Wellsboro identified the dead farmer as Thomas Haldeman, 36, a Bucks County native who farmed land along Meeker Road, north of Tioga. Haldeman was using the power takeoff on a large John Deere tractor to power a spreader and somehow became entangled in a cable connecting the two, Wilson said. The cable was wrapped twice around Haldeman's neck and caused several injuries before the entanglement stalled the idling tractor, Wilson said. He listed the cause of death as cardio and respiratory arrest, and noted other injuries as well, including multiple arm fractures. The mishap occurred at 12:37 p.m. Wilson did not order an autopsy.
W.Va. teen dies in Greene accident
Chloe, WV - A 19-year-old West Virginia man died Tuesday night when he fell off a railroad overpass, landing on the road below. State police said Phillip R. Watkins of Chloe, W.Va., and another unidentified man climbed the bank onto the overpass, which is above Route 21 west of Sugar Run Road, and were waiting for a train to pass so they could cross the tracks and proceed down the other bank. The accident happened at 10:15 p.m., police said, noting that both men were in Waynesburg working for Osmose Holdings Inc., a New York-based company that inspects and treats wooden utility poles with a preservative. The unidentified man who witnessed the accident told police Watkins "lost his footing" and fell onto the eastbound lane of the road while they were waiting for the train to pass, according to a police report filed by trooper Robert H. Cree.
Officer dies after incident while directing traffic
Jacksonville, FL - A public service assistant with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office died at Baptist South hospital in Jacksonville Wednesday. Robert Junod was on traffic duty at County Road 210 and Leo Maguire Road around 8 a.m. when he had an apparent heart attack, according to Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Chuck Mulligan. "He was directing early morning rush hour traffic," said Mulligan, adding the cause of death had not yet been confirmed.
Semi Kills Two Highway Workers
Neenah,WI - The Wisconsin State Patrol believes slowing traffic had a lot to do with an accident that killed two highway workers along Highway 41 Tuesday. About 2:15 p.m., 55-year-old Marc Neumeyer of Neenah and 53-year-old Daniel Melhorn of Oshkosh were filling potholes in the southbound lane of Highway 41 near the Breezewood exit near Neenah. Officers say traffic was slowed down to about 45 miles per hour in the area, when a semi-truck driver tried to swerve to miss a station wagon that was slowing down to change lanes. They say the car's driver was trying to give the workers some space. "The station wagon appeared to obviously observe it. She slowed and started to make her manuever to the left lane to avoid them," Sgt. Mark Abrahamson said. Investigators believe the semi driver was caught off-guard and hit the back of the station wagon then the workers' truck, and the two men doing repairs. Neumeyer and Melhorn were killed instantly.
Painter is shot to death working in law office
Chicago, IL - A Chicago man was shot to death Monday evening while painting in a law firm in the Bridgeport neighborhood, police said. "They were painting in the building, and his buddy went to go to get something to eat, and his buddy came back and found him shot to death," a co-worker told police. The man, who is believed to have been shot about 11:48 p.m. Monday in the business in the 3700 block of South Halsted Street, was dead when police arrived. He was identified as Cornelio Valadez, 43, of the 2600 block of South Damen Avenue, a spokesman with the Cook County medical examiner's office said. No arrests were made in the shooting by Tuesday evening.
Worker Dies After Crane Collapses On CSU Campus
WILBERFORCE, Ohio, -- Officials at Miami Valley Hospital said a 35-year-old man who fell from a crane at a local construction site has died. James Hill, of Fairborn, passed away early Tuesday morning. The accident happened last week on the campus of Central State University. Authorities said Hill fell about 40 feet when the crane collapsed. The Occupational Safety and Health Organization continues to investigate what caused the crane to fall.
Construction worker killed in Meridian accident
Meridian, NY - A 42-year-old construction worker was killed this morning after he was struck by a load of lumber. The accident happened at a construction site in the Meadow Lakes Retirement Community in Meridian. The lumber was said to have weighed between 2,000 to 3,000 pounds. Police say said the lumber was being lifted off a truck when the load slid off the forklift and struck the man, knocking him down. It appears he hit his head on a semi-trailer. Paramedics treated the man at the scene, but he died from the injuries. The Ada County coroner has identified the victim as Dwayne Korte of Caldwell. The cause of death is listed as blunt force trauma to the head. Meridian Police and Ada County Sheriff's deputies are investigating the accident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating to determine if there were any safety violations.
PSE CONTRACT WORKER ELECTROCUTED IN VAULT
RENTON, WA -- A 24-year-old contract worker for Puget Sound Energy died Wednesday night after being electrocuted, the Renton Fire Department reported Thursday. The death is being classified as an industrial accident, and an investigation is under way, Lt. Larry Welch said.
"We don't see this very often," he said. "Those guys are pretty safe."
The accident occurred about 11:30 p.m. in the 600 to 700 block of Rainier Avenue South. The worker was in an underground power vault when he made contact with a wire or something else, according to Welch.
His partner, a 41-year-old man, was handing him something and suffered a jolt of electricity.
The man got a safety insulation blanket and pulled his partner out of the vault.
Ranger Dedicated To Helping Motorists
Tampa, FL - Donald Bradshaw came out of retirement to become a road ranger, taking a largely anonymous job that doesn't pay a lot and that sometimes can be very dangerous. Bradshaw, 66, was attempting to direct southbound traffic around the site of a wreck in the inside lane of Interstate 275 near the Howard-Armenia exit early Sunday when he was hit and killed by a motorist. He is the second road ranger killed while working in the Tampa Bay area in the six years the state-funded program has been operating here. "He was dedicated to what he did," said Terry Hensley, the Department of Transportation's traffic incident manager for District 7, which includes Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. "He was very much about helping other people." Bradshaw was wearing a yellow reflective vest, backing up a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on the scene of an accident early Sunday. He had positioned cones and flares to close three lanes to traffic, Trooper Larry Coggins said. But a Nissan Sentra went around the stopped traffic and, on seeing Bradshaw and the wreck, slammed on his brakes too late and slid into Bradshaw and the wreck. Bradshaw died at the scene. The Sentra's driver, Benjamin Green, 31, of St. Petersburg, has not been charged, pending the results of blood-alcohol and drug tests.
Truck Crushes Electrical Worker
Avoca, IA - An electrical worker was killed when he was crushed under his truck in Southwest Iowa on Sunday night, according to Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Department. The man's body was discovered beneath his truck at the fairgrounds in Avoca. "It's a middle-aged man from out of town that was servicing a vehicle and it apparently rolled on him, and he was pinned under the rear axle," said Deputy Tom Bernemann, a spokesman for the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Department. Bernemann said it's believed the victim was an electrical worker from Eastern Iowa who was part of a crew laying power lines in the area.
Missing CPS worker found dead
Dallas, TX - A missing Child Protective Services program director has been found dead, officials said Wednesday. Family members had reported Sally Blackwell, 53, missing and were worried about threats she received on a case, San Antonio television station KENS reported. She was last heard from Monday about 9 p.m. and did not report to work at her Victoria office on Tuesday, police and CPS officials said. "It's been confirmed to us that the body they located is our employee, Sally Blackwell," CPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins said. "We are shocked and saddened at that fact. Everyone who was aware of her disappearance had been hoping there would be a happier outcome. Word has been spreading across the state." Child Protective Services investigates reports of abuse and neglect of children, and, if necessary, places them in foster care. According to CPS, Blackwell oversaw 46 caseworkers, their supervisors and additional support staff in nine counties. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her family."
Man killed in fall from fork lift
Neosho, MO, -- An Anderson man was killed in a forklift accident at Jarden Consumer Solutions, the former Sunbeam plant.
Edward J. Anderson, 29, died at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday morning. He leaves behind a wife, Amanda, and two sons: Brett and Branden. Full obituary information is on page 2 of today's edition.
Officials at Jarden deferred questions to a corporate spokeswoman, Rocky Rockingham, who said she could not comment on the details at this time and would not even name the victim. A company statement was not available as of Tuesday afternoon, but would be available sometime Wednesday.
However, Mark Bridges, Newton County coroner, said the accident happened as Anderson raised the truck's lift up high while it had a heavy clamp attached to it. The vehicle evidently became top-heavy, causing it to topple over with Anderson inside. The man fell out of the forklift and hit his head, Bridges said.
Iowa worker dies in 150-fall from communications tower
GLADSTONE, Mo. -- An Iowa man dies after falling about 150 feet from a communications tower where he was working. It happened this afternoon in Gladstone, Missouri, just north of Kansas City. Authorities were withholding the name of the 28-year-old man while his family was notified, but a supervisor said he was from the Iowa town of Knoxville. Employees of Interstate Tower Incorporated of Hawarden, Iowa, have been working on the 300-foot tower for about two weeks, installing new equipment. The accident happened while the victim and another man were about halfway up the tower. Three other workers were on the ground. The cause of the fall is being investigated. Gladstone Police Sergeant Richard King says the victim was wearing a safety harness when emergency personnel reached the scene.
Former Claiborne County employee accused of killing board attorney
Port Gibson, MS - A former Claiborne County employee allegedly killed the Board of Supervisors attorney this morning and injured at least one other person in a shooting rampage, according to WLBT-Channel 3. The station, quoting police, identified the suspect as Carl Brandon. Killed was Allen Burrell, who was reportedly shot shortly before 8 a.m. today just outside his office in Port Gibson. WLBT reported that Burrell’s law partner also was wounded but the extent of his injuries is not known.
Kin say WTC killed Mom, EMS worker dies of rare cancer
New York, NY - A retired FDNY paramedic died Wednesday from cancer that her doctor and family insist was linked to her work at the World Trade Center morgue after the 9/11 attacks. Debbie Reeve, 41, died at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx after mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer in her lungs, ravaged her body, leaving her emaciated and unable to walk, her loved ones said yesterday. Reeve, a Bronx mother of two who worked at the Ground Zero morgue for several months, developed the cancer after being exposed to asbestos thrown into the air by the collapsing twin towers, her family and doctor contend.
QuikTrip clerk, 17, dies after shooting
Wichita, KS -- A 17-year-old QuikTrip clerk died today after being shot in the head in an unprovoked and unexplained attack, Wichita police said.
A spokesman for QuikTrip Corp., Mike Thornbrugh, said: "We're absolutely devastated by this, and our hearts are broken by this... senseless, senseless act of violence.
Police and school district officials said the clerk, Brian C. Hall, was a senior at East High School. Hall had been involved in Junior ROTC and the school's construction program, said Susan Arensman, a school district spokeswoman. East High made counselors available for students, she said.
Flagman killed in mishap on Miss. 16
Canton, MS - The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol is investigating the death of a road construction worker who was killed Wednesday morning when a tractor-trailer from his work crew backed over him. Jefferson Hutchins, 56, died from multiple trauma about 7:50 a.m. near 3681 Mississippi 16 East, Madison County Coroner Alex Breeland said. Highway Patrol Sgt. James Walker said Hutchins was a flagman for Dickerson and Bowing Construction Co. of Brookhaven.
Crash kills two- Official: No distress signal was sent by helicopter
Lafayette, LA - An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the Monday morning crash of a Bell 206L Series helicopter, which crashed - killing two of its four occupants - into a remote and marshy area in St. Mary Parish. The crash occurred minutes after the helicopter's take-off from Patterson at about 7:30 a.m. in an area about five miles south of the town, said Gerry Golden, general manager and director of operations for Broussard-based Rotocraft Leasing.
Trucker who was killed is identified
Berlin, MA - A Maine man was killed and an Illinois man suffered minor injuries in a late night crash involving two tractor-trailers Monday. Truck driver John Gelinas, 45, of Saco, Maine, was killed and truck driver Innocent Yudo, 59, of Chicago suffered minor injuries during the accident on Interstate 495 North in Berlin, a mile south of Exit 26, according to state police. Yudo was treated and released from Marlborough Hospital early yesterday morning, according to a hospital spokesman
Worker Crushed By Falling Smokestack
Baltimore, MD - A worker (Jimmy Wayne Streeter, 43) sitting in a parked pickup truck was crushed to death when a nearby smokestack collapsed and fell onto his vehicle. "He apparently never knew the smokestack was falling towards him," Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Chief Kevin Cartwright said. The accident occurred Tuesday evening at the W.R. Grace Chemical Co.'s Curtis Bay plant during a period of high winds. The 200-foot metal smokestack broke off, cleared a small building and crashed onto the parked vehicle underneath.
Contractor dies at VA center site
Hampton, VA - A Virginia Beach contractor was killed Monday in the parking lot at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Hampton as he helped another contractor unload a supply of commercial doors. Wilbert McNeil Jr., 55, was doing renovation work on the interior of the geriatric/psychiatric unit about 10:15 a.m. when the doors he was helping to unload shifted and fell on him, said Jenny Tankersley, the center's public affairs officer. McNeil, who worked for Robra Construction in Virginia Beach, was pronounced dead 20 to 25 minutes after the accident. Robra has been renovating the geriatric/psychiatric unit since October, Tankersley said. Police and fire officials responded. The medical center's police department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the accident.
Truck driver recalled as family man- Death occurred in work-related accident
North Manchester, IN - Jerry D. Huffman was a kind, family man who loved children and who was eager to become a grandfather, said a family member. Huffman’s hopes of seeing his grandchildren ended in a matter of seconds when he was killed in a work-related accident Sunday. Family members grappled with their loss Monday while making funeral arrangements in Bluffton. Huffman, 50, was killed about 12:30 p.m. at Dexter Axle in North Manchester, the Wabash County Sheriff’s Department said. Huffman, who was employed by Evans Trucking in Butler, was checking a load of axles on a trailer. About 10 axles were bundled together, secured by metal straps, and stacked two high on the trailer. At some point one of the bundles and Huffman fell from the truck, according to the sheriff’s report.
Man killed while trying to protect pregnant employee
Houston, TX - It happened around 10:45pm Sunday on Crosstimbers and Fulton in north Houston. Police say a woman and her estranged husband began arguing outside the Lucky Seafood Market near Northline Mall. The woman works at the market and her boss tried to get the husband to leave. An eyewitness says that's when the husband pulled a machete and attacked the market owner. "The lady came, saying her husband killed some man. Me and that lady went back there to check and the back of his head he has a big hole in the back," said eyewitness Gustavo Silva. "The husband hit him with a machete in the back of his head" The estranged couple's 12-year-old daughter was also on the scene and saw the entire incident. The husband took off and has not been found. His wife, being pregnant, was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Road worker killed by cement truck
NY - A state Department of Transportation worker was struck by a cement truck and killed while repairing potholes on Sunrise Highway at 10:30 a.m. Friday, spokeswoman Eileen Peters said. Patrick Mapleson, 66, of Ridge, was pronounced dead at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center at 11:24 a.m. "Poor Patrick. He was just working on making the road safer for everybody and he lost his life," Peters said.
Robbers shoot, kill gas station worker
Milwaukee, WI - 57-year-old gas station employee died from a gunshot wound to the back during an armed robbery Saturday at a Citgo gas station at 3531 N. Teutonia Ave., police said. The shooting occurred about 6:30 p.m. The victim was identified as Surinder Singh Toor, 57, the older brother of the owner of the station, Surjit Toor, according to Gurmail Toor, Surinder's nephew. Gurmail Toor said that he was at Jack's Beverage Center next door when he heard over the intercom that his uncle had been shot. The family owns both businesses.
NASA Employee Dies After Fall From Roof
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL -- A roofer died after falling from a warehouse Friday at Kennedy Space Center as employees returned to work with orders to be more careful a day after a stand-down was ordered following a spate of recent accidents. James Kennedy, the space center's director, ordered work stopped for two hours Thursday while he addressed nearly 15,000 employees on safety issues over closed-circuit television. He warned that a major accident could derail NASA's plans to complete the international space station and to begin exploring the moon and then Mars. "We must stop in their tracks the events that led me to call for this safety stand-down," Kennedy said. Steven Owens, 51, had removed his safety harness and was moving toward the edge of a warehouse roof when he tripped over a lightning protection wire, said Sam Gutierrez, a spokesman for Space Gateway Support, which holds the joint base operations contract at the space center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Firefighter dies of heart attack at fire
Hastings-on-Hudson, NEW YORK -- A Westchester County firefighter died after suffering a heart attack while responding to a fire Friday.
Battalion Chief Robert Schnibbe Jr., 57, of the Hastings-on-Hudson Fire Department, suffered the attack while directing firefighters at a house under construction in Irvington, the department said.
"Chief Schnibbe was one of the most widely known and respected fire officials in Westchester County and throughout the State," the department said in a statement.
Schnibbe had served in his department for 39 years and was chief officer from 1977 to 2001.
Hit/Run Freeway Crash Kills Road Worker
CARLSBAD, CA -- A predawn hit-and-run crash on a North County freeway killed a road worker today, authorities said.
The victim was in a closed section of Interstate 5 in Carlsbad, helping install electronic sensors in the roadway, when a pickup truck veered into the area and struck him about 1:45 a.m., the California Highway Patrol reported.
The motorist pulled over briefly a short distance away, near Jefferson Street, then continued driving out of the area to the south, CHP public affairs Officer Joel Arding said.
Medics took the injured worker, a 26-year-old Olathe, Colo., resident employed by a Caltrans subcontractor, to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead about six hours later.
Assumption deputy killed trying to help apprehend suspect
NAPOLEONVILLE, LA - Known fondly as "Streetfly" for his gregarious ways, Assumption Parish Sheriff's Sgt. Jeremy Newchurch moved comfortably between two very different worlds.
On Feb. 24, the 31-year-old Newchurch - who coached a youth softball team - was volunteering at a school Mardi Gras carnival, judging children in a costume contest, his godmother, Tina Landry, said.
Wednesday night, Newchurch was fatally shot in the chest while trying to help a fellow officer arrest a suspected drug dealer, Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack said Thursday.
Truck driver killed in collision with train
NEWNAN, Ga -- - A man driving a cement truck was killed Tuesday when his truck crashed into a train.
Coweta County Sheriff's Office officials said a CSX train hit a cement truck at Weldon Road U.S. 29 Tuesday morning. The sheriff's office received a call about the wreck at 10:42 a.m.
The truck driver was killed. No other injuries were reported. The man's identity was not immediately released.
Investigators are continuing to work the scene.
Container ship crew member dead in safety exercise in Seattle
SEATTLE, WA -- A man who died in a lifeboat accident during a safety drill was a member of the crew of a container ship based in Hong Kong, investigators in the King County medical examiner's office said.
Jie Zheng, 25, drowned at Terminal 18 after a lifeboat containing him and three others from the crew of the OOCL Britain flipped while being lowered into the water near the mouth of the Duwamish River, investigators said Monday.
Coast Guard personnel pulled all four from the water within about 20 minutes Sunday but Zheng died after being taken to Harborview Medical Center.
A second crew member was treated for a broken leg, and the other two others were returned to the ship.
The Britain had arrived in port earlier in the day. The accident, which occurred during a safety drill supervised by the American Bureau of Shipping, remained under investigation, Coast guard officials said.
Lafayette County deputy killed when patrol car goes off road
LEWISVILLE Ark. -- A Lafayette County sheriff's deputy died in a traffic accident while on his way to help another deputy who was answering a domestic disturbance call, the sheriff's office said Saturday.
Deputy Stacy McMurrough, 32, of Stamps died when the patrol car he was driving went off Arkansas 29, went into a ditch, overturned, and he was thrown from the vehicle, according to an Arkansas State Police report. The accident happened at 8:21 p.m. Friday. The highway was wet at the time because it had been raining. McMurrough was not wearing his seat belt, the state police report said.
Sheriff Danny Ormand said Saturday that his deputies usually wear their seat belts. "But for some reason, he didn't have it on." The sheriff said the accident happened not long after McMurrough apparently had stopped a traffic violator, received the call for backup, got back in his car and hurried off to help the other deputy.
Logger killed in Halifax
HALIFAX , VT -- A 55-year-old Wilmington man was struck and killed by a falling tree during a logging accident on Sunday.
According to Halifax Fire Chief Wayne Courser, Joel Greene was logging alone about a half-mile off Thurber Road when the accident occurred. Courser said the tree which hit Greene was standing on the edge of a marshy area and appeared to have uprooted a short time after being struck by another tree that Greene had just cut down.
Courser said it appeared Greene was trimming the limbs off the felled tree when he was hit from behind by the toppling tree. Courser said Greene had probably been struck around 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
This is the third logging accident that resulted in a death in less than three months in southern Vermont.
Coroner IDs I-680 tow truck driver
CONCORD, CA -- The Contra Costa Coroner's Office has identified the man struck by a car and killed while assisting another motorist on Interstate 680 as Jody Ehling, 42, of Concord.
The collision occurred before 9:30 p.m. on northbound I-680 at the westbound Highway 4 onramp, the California Highway Patrol said.
Witnesses said Ehling, an American Tow tow truck driver, was standing on the right-hand shoulder of the connector, operating levers on the side of his truck when a gold 1995 Volvo bounced off the left-side concrete barrier and overcorrected toward the right, plowing into Ehling, who was thrown several yards, Sgt. Keith Marsden said.
Semi driver killed in head-on collision
WILTON, Iowa — A semi-truck driver from Spencer, Iowa, died in a head-on collision Wednesday morning with another semi along Interstate 80 near Wilton.
David Lynn Loerts, 39, died at the scene when the other semi, driven by Michael Morrow, 56, of Cherokee, Iowa, crossed the centerline at 2:39 a.m. and collided with Loerts’ vehicle.
A Tipton ambulance took Morrow to Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street, Davenport. A hospital spokesman said he was treated there and released.
According to the Iowa State Patrol, Loerts was westbound on I-80 and Morrow was eastbound. Loerts’ vehicle became engulfed in flames, and Morrow’s truck came to a rest in a ditch on the north side of the road, police said.
Construction worker killed on I-75
Lowndes County, GA - A construction worker was killed today in a tragic accident on the Interstate.
The man was working on a road resurfacing project on I-75 near exit 29 in Lowndes County when a co-worker accidentally backed over him. The driver of the truck was backing up to get a load of asphalt, and didn't see the man behind him.
"He was looking in his left side mirror and the other worker was on the ride side, to the rear of his truck," said Trooper Jim Brown.
Both men worked for Douglas Asphalt Company. Troopers have not released the victim's name pending notification of kin.
Double murder possibly a ’hit’: Businessman, worker killed in Wakefield
Wakefield, MA -- The president of a Wakefield concrete business and one of his part-time truck drivers were shot to death at the family-owned firm yesterday morning in what investigators are looking at as a possible execution, authorities said.
Allstate Concrete Pumping Inc. President Michael Zammitti Jr., 39, of Wakefield was shot in the head from the front as he sat at his desk in a cramped office above the company garage, authorities said.
Chester Roberts, 51, also of Wakefield, was shot in the back at least once and found near the bottom of the stairs to the office.
“It does appear, given the location of the bodies, that he may not have been the intended target of this, that he may have happened upon the circumstances,” Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley said of Roberts.
$20K Reward Offered in Hit-Run Freeway Crash that Killed Road Worker
SAN DIEGO, CA -- Authorities announced a $20,000 reward today for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a motorist involved in a predawn hit-and-run crash that killed a road worker on a North County freeway.
The March 6 accident, which occurred in a closed section of Interstate 5 in Carlsbad, killed 26-year-old Olathe, Colo., resident Zachary Zura.
The victim was helping install electronic sensors in the roadway near Jefferson Street when a southbound pickup truck veered into the work area and struck him about 1:45 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
Medics took Zura, an employee of a Caltrans subcontractor, to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead about six hours later.
Worker Killed, One Injured in Plant Accident
Shertz, TX -- One worker was killed, another injured during an industrial accident at a plant in Schertz, officials told News 4 WOAI.
The accident happened close to 2 p.m. Tuesday at PSP Monotech, authorities said. The company builds steel components for power plants.
The victim killed in the accident was identified as 27-year-old Mike Apaez from San Antonio, officials with the City of Schertz told News 4 WOAI.
The other worker, 40-year-old Roland Luna, was rushed to University Hospital, officials said. His condition was unknown Tuesday night.
Truck driver dies in wreck
Greenville, OK -- An Arkansas truck driver was killed Tuesday morning when his tractor-trailer ran off Interstate 35 and struck a tree in Love County, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
James Pruett, 42, of Greenbrier was driving south on the highway when his truck left the road about 10 a.m. near Greenville, ran though a fence, struck a tree and caught fire, troopers said. The cause of the accident was unknown Tuesday.
Teacher Dies, 8 Students Hurt When Car Slams Into CrowdLos Angeles, CA -- A teacher (Carrie Phillips, 24) was killed and eight students were injured Wednesday when an out-of-control car jumped a curb in Culver City and slammed into them as they returned to their school from a nearby park.
Both the driver of the car and her male passenger fled the scene but were later arrested. They were identified as Laura Samayoa, 20, of Los Angeles, and Reynaldo Cruz, 19, also of Los Angeles, said Lt. Chris Maddox of the Culver City Police Department.
Truck driver dies in I-495 crash
BERLIN, ME -- A truck driver from Saco, Maine, was killed Monday night when his tractor-trailer smashed into the rear of another truck on Interstate 495, state police said.
The crash, which occurred on I-495 north, about a mile south of Exit 26, was reported to state police about 11:30 p.m. It was raining and visibility was poor, though traffic was light. The accident occurred on a long incline, which begins at the Interstate 290 interchange and ends at Exit 26.
John Gelinas, 45, of Saco, Maine, died in the crash, according to state police. His tractor-trailer was in the right lane when it rear-ended a tractor-trailer driven by Innocent Yudo, 59, of Chicago, police said.