Sunday, December 03, 2006

Weekly Toll: Death In The American Workplace

A partial list of workers killed in American workplaces over the past several weeks (It's a bit long this week because we took Thanksgiving weekend off)

Young father, newlywed dies in industrial accident

BEDFORD HEIGHTS, OH -- Twenty-one-year-old Jason Watkins died Friday when five tons of steel crushed his chest as he worked at Loveman Steel in Bedford Heights.

His 14-month-old twins, Jeremy and Jenna, play in their house, too young to understand what happened. He also leaves behind a wife, Cynthia, who married only this summer.


BSO deputy who was killed had daughter, 4, twin toddlers

Tamarac, FL - Some relatives and neighbors were just learning Sunday that Broward Sheriff's Deputy Brian Tephford had died, the victim of gunfire during a traffic stop in Tamarac, ationd that Deputy Corey Carbocci had been shot but was still alive. They acknowledged the facts, but the emotional truth was still sinking in. Tephford had been working a special detail, helping to keep a condo community safe at night, when he and Carbocci, whom he'd called for backup, were attacked.


Worker dies after fall

Fredericksburg, VA - The worker who fell at a construction site near Mary Washington Hospital on Saturday has died. Jaime Zamorano, 24, of Colonial Beach died Saturday afternoon after falling 13 feet and hitting his head on a concrete floor. “He was an excellent worker. He will be sorely missed,” said Doug Endicott, owner of Decco Builders. Zamorano had worked for the King George contractor for three years. Endicott said that Zamorano was standing on a support joist, reaching for a bundle of decking, when he fell. Zamorano grabbed the joist with his right arm but lost his grip, Endicott said.


Father gives heart in death

MI - Jeffrey Mills was a loving father who did not mind driving 2,000 miles each month to stay close to his children. Mills, who died Saturday after suffering critical injuries Monday when he fell about 14 feet from a forklift while working at Classic Chevrolet's warehouse, was generous in his death as well. The heart of the 37-year-old will go to a child after the organ was donated to an area children's hospital. Others also will benefit, as more than 50 of his organs were donated. Police said Mills was not secured with a safety strap before falling at the warehouse, 521 76th St. SW. A Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigator has been assigned to the case. A review likely will take several weeks, a spokesman said.


Dockhand killed by fumes is identified, Carbon monoxide accident on wharf claims father of 2

NEW BEDFORD, MA — Jose Baptista was identified yesterday as the dock worker who died Thursday when he and others were overcome by carbon monoxide in a cleaning accident with a gas-powered washer aboard the New Bedford fishing vessel Sandra-Lee. The fumes from the washer, which was used below deck in a poorly ventilated forward water tank, sent two other workers, along with five paramedics, a firefighter and a police officer to the hospital. The accident occurred about 12:40 p.m. on Leonard's Wharf. Carlos Rafael, who purchased the scalloper about two weeks ago, and Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Pinneo identified Mr. Baptista as the dockhand who lost his life in the accident.


Repair on pipeline begins after fatality

Cheyenne, WY - El Paso Corp. began repair work early Sunday on its ruptured pipeline near the Colorado-Wyoming border, a day after a fiery explosion took a worker's life and burned hundreds of acres of land. The incident occurred southwest of Cheyenne when a bulldozer digging a ditch for the $4.4 billion Rockies Express pipeline project hit an existing underground pipeline belonging to El Paso. The pipeline delivers natural gas to customers along the Front Range. The impact severed the pipeline, spilling natural gas and leading to a massive blaze. The bulldozer operator, identified as Bobby Ray Owens Jr., 52, of Louisiana, died in the blast.


Plane crash kills 5 Iowa professionals

Des Moines, IA - An Atlantic lawyer and four young professionals from a Des Moines marketing company have been identified as the victims of a Monday night plane crash in LaPorte County, Ind. A spokesman for Two Rivers Marketing identified the four company employees who were killed when the plane crashed Monday night in La Porte County, Indiana. They are: Tom Dunphy, 41, Leslie O'Bannon, 27, Eric Jacobs, 31, Josh Trainor, 23. The LaPorte County Sheriff's office identified the pilot as John Trewet, 45, of Atlantic. His wife said Tuesday that he was a lawyer and pilot who agreed to fly the plane Monday.


1 dead in train, truck collision

ASHDOWN, Ark.—Before Floyd Stark, 59, of Horatio took a load of logs to the Domtar paper mill Saturday, he stopped at the Ashdown Road Mart on U.S. Highway 71 to let his friend, Charles Dorsey, get something to eat. Stark and Dorsey had cut timber together Saturday morning and were hauling it to the paper mill. Dorsey stayed at Road Mart to finish his food while Stark was going to unload the logs. When more than an hour passed and Stark did not return, Dorsey suspected something was wrong. Stark was driving the 1986 one-ton Chevrolet pickup truck pulling a 30-foot trailer loaded with tree-length hardwood toward the wood yard on the property of the paper mill, said Arkansas State Police Corporal Jamie Gravier, Stark drove the pickup and trailer into the railroad engine operating on the tracks about 1/2 mile west of the main crossing and U.S. Highway 71, according to accident reports.


Investigators say worker died from electrocution in Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls, IA - Investigators now know what caused the death of a worker at a northeast Iowa construction site last week. A state medical examiner has ruled that Chris Turney died of electrocution. The 24-year-old Des Moines man collapsed last Wednesday while working at a Hy-Vee store under construction at College Square Mall in Cedar Falls. Turney was employed by Kline Electric of Ankeny, which was hired to install electrical wiring at the new store. Investigators say Turney was standing on metal scaffolding, working with electrical wires at the time of the mishap. Initially, Hy-Vee representatives said the accident didn’t appear to be work related but an autopsy later revealed the cause of the death.


Council Bluffs Man Dies When Garbage Truck Malfunctions

OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha police said a Council Bluffs man was killed in a Tuesday morning garbage truck accident. It happened just before 8 a.m. north of 116th and Pacific streets. Bernard Lawrence was unloading a Dumpster into a garbage truck when a cable malfunctioned and he was pinned between the Dumpster and the truck. Omaha police spokeswoman Sgt. Teresa Negron said there were two Deffenbaugh employees working on the truck at the time. Deffenbaugh told KETV NewsWatch 7 that is the first time it has experienced such a cable malfunction.


Workman killed unloading timber in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH, VA - A worker was killed Wednesday morning when he was struck by a timber pile he was trying to secure. The incident occurred at the W.F. Magann Corp., in the 3300 block of Shipwright St. in West Norfolk, according to Ann Hope, spokeswoman for the Portsmouth Police Department. Police said they will not release his name until they notify his family. The man was unloading piles of timber from a barge to a truck just after 11 a.m., Hope said. A pile of timber that the man was trying to secure broke free, striking him. He was killed instantly, Hope said. She did not know whether the man was an employee of the company or an independent contractor. The investigation into his death is ongoing.The W.F. Magann Corp. is a diversified general contractor for the heavy industrial, marine and concrete construction industries. Several calls for comment to company officials Wednesday afternoon were not returned.


Worker killed at Donzi plant

SOUTH MANATEE, FL -- A 25-year-old man was killed at Donzi Marine, the boat-builder, Tuesday evening, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies did not immediately release the man's name because his family had not been notified of his death at Donzi, in the 7100 block of 21st Street East. The man's death is considered an industrial accident, sheriff's Lt. John Baroncelli said. There was no immediate sign of foul play. Baroncelli said the man, a Donzi employee, was found dead in a boat. The cause of death was not immediately known.


Oshkosh man killed in industrial accident

OSHKOSH, WI - — Winnebago County Coroner Barry Busby confirmed this afternoon that a man injured in an industrial accident Wednesday night died this morning. Jesse Diener, 28, Oshkosh was injured in an accident at Lapham-Hickey Steel Corporation’s Oshkosh division around 10:30 p.m., according to a press release from the company. Melvin Lischefski, area director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Appleton office, said the incident is still under investigation. He said the accident is related to a bundle of steel falling. “One of our primary concerns is that we don’t have any more people hurt there,” he said.


Blast kills welder, 27

Shelbyville, MI - An employee was killed Thursday in a plant explosion in northeastern Allegan County, authorities said. Kristofor Lee Lorback, 27, of Shelbyville, was using welding equipment to repair a fuel tanker at Liquid Haulers Maintenance Inc. in Moline when the explosion occurred at about 11:45 a.m., according to Michigan State Police. No other injuries were reported, police said. The explosion blew a hole in the roof of the building at 4560 12th St., police said.


Worker, boss dead in murder-suicide

BALTIMORE, TX - A meeting between an employee and his supervisor in Maryland yesterday ended in an apparent murder-suicide. It's not clear who killed whom. Police say they don't know the motive for the shootings at B-D Diagnostics Systems in suburban Baltimore or what the meeting was about. Other workers heard the gunshots. Family members identified the supervisor as 59-year-old Harold Creech. A family spokeswoman says Creech supervised the information technology department. A spokeswoman says the facility in suburban Sparks, Maryland, manufactures instruments to test for infectious diseases.


Albemarle clerk shot, killed

Albemarle, NC - Police are looking for a gunman who robbed a warehouse store in Albemarle and fatally shot a store clerk Thursday afternoon. The robber walked into R.J. Tucker Wholesale on South Depot Street near Main Street about 3:15 p.m. It's not clear what happened next, said Chief Ronnie Michael. But store employee Keith Davon Crump, 53, and the owner, Robert James Tucker, were both shot, the chief said. No customers were in the store at the time. Crump was pronounced dead at Carolinas Medical Center, Michael said. Tucker was in good condition at Stanly Regional Medical Center.


$50,000 reward offered for information on slain dentist

WILLOUGHBY, OH -- This afternoon Willoughby police announced a $50,000 reward for the conviction of the person or persons that killed 70-year-old dentist, Robert Kalina. The family is offering the reward because police have only a few leads to follow. Kalina was killed November fourth at his office across from Lake West Hospital. Police say he was beaten and shot in the chest between five and seven o'clock that evening. His body was found in a Mentor industrial park two days later. Police believe finding these personal items could lead to Kalina's killer. A clutch bag, olympic medallion, knife, camera, watch and police badge are all personal items the dentist always had with him.


Ohio man killed in Ramsey crash

Ramsey, AK - A man who climbed out of an overturned 18-wheeler and waited atop the truck cab for medical help Thursday afternoon has died of his injuries, according to Arkansas State Police reports. Richard G. Dodson, 57, of Zanesville, Ohio was a passenger in an 18-wheeler pulling a box trailer southbound on Highway 167 (up Ramsey Mountain) when the accident occurred around 2:20 p.m. Dodson was attended to by Southside first responders and Vital Link paramedics who had to overcome several obstacles to get him off the cab of the truck and into a waiting ambulance. The driver of the truck, 31-year-old Nares Jendanklang of Hebron, Ohio, was also injured in the accident.


Caroline schools employee fatally shot

BOWLING GREEN, NC -- A longtime Caroline County schools employee was fatally shot by a co-worker earlier this afternoon, authorities said. David Ganoe, 51, the maintenance supervisor for the school system, was pronounced dead at the scene, said Maj. Michael W. Hall of the sheriff's office. Thomas Eugene Monroe, 66, of Ruther Glen turned himself a short time later. He was charged with first-degree murder, authorities said. He was being held at Pamunkey Regional Jail without bond.


Co-Worker Remembers SCE&G Lineman Who Died on the Job

Columbia, SC --Keller Kissam said, "He was a big bear of a guy. A lot of people called him teddy bear, and he was always smiling." 41-year old Ken Butler worked as a SCE&G lineman for 19 years. Keller Kissam is the company's Vice President of Electric Operations. He says Butler along with other linemen out of Barnwell were working Thursday morning to restore power to Bamberg County customers, after thunderstorms caused them to lose it. Kissam said, "He was in one of our buckets working. The pole itself had vegetation around it and he was going into clear it and then he was going to restore a fuse that had blown out." Butler never completed that job. Sadly, he was electrocuted in the process.


Oil worker dies from injuries

Greeley, CO - The oil rig worker died late Thursday night from injuries he sustained when a piece of heavy equipment fell from the top of a rig and hit him in the head. According to Weld County Coroner Mark Ward, 19 year-old Jacob Farmer of Henderson died about 9:30 p.m. at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. Farmer was taken by helicopter to the hospital after the incident, which happened at Weld County roads 59 and 62, near Galeton and about six miles northeast of Kersey. Ward said an autopsy is scheduled for today to determine the cause of death, however, he believes it was likely due to traumatic head injury.


Autopsy pending in death of Dow employee

FREEPORT, ND — While OSHA officials investigate a small chlorine release at Dow, family members of a man who died the morning after working on the unit where the leak took place await results of an autopsy report that could provide the cause of his death. Though the Wednesday leak was not of a level that mandated Dow immediately report it, officials at the chemical company contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to investigate its cause, said Tracie Copeland, a Dow spokeswoman. Union process operator Gerald Hamilton, 36, of Galveston was working Wednesday evening, clearing a pipeline at the plant, when less than a third of a gallon of chlorine was released into the air. The next morning Hamilton died at Brazosport Regional Health System of an undetermined cause.


Falling file cabinet pins, kills Point Pleasant girl

Point Pleasant, WV - No one seems sure how a five-drawer filing cabinet fell and pinned a 17-year-old girl against a Jeep, killing her. Andrya Lynn Jordan, a student at Point Pleasant High School, was found dead Sunday evening at a medical storage facility. She worked there filing papers for a local physician, police said. "It's just a garage type area, an old building that was rented for storage," said Point Pleasant Police Chief Ronald Spencer. "She was there working for an individual, doing filing and paper work." Sometime while she was working, the filing cabinet fell over on her, police said. Spencer said a family friend found Jordan unresponsive at the scene. The police chief said the friend had come to the facility to check up on her while she worked. Police, emergency services and fire department personnel arrived at the storage facility's location at 2429 Lincoln Ave. about 6:50 p.m. Sunday. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The police department says the death was accidental. Spencer could not provide details about the filing cabinet. In some medical store facilities, records are kept in tall, wide cabinets much larger than ordinary filing systems.


Pharmacist Killed in Shooting at Shands

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- One woman is dead, and another woman has been arrested for a deadly shooting at Shands Jacksonville. The shooting happened in the pharmacy Monday morning. Witnesses say a woman in line started arguing with the pharmacist, identified as 37-year-old Shannon McCants. The woman pulled out a gun and shot McCants several times. "I thought it was a lightbulb," said John Gassit. "I started running myself," he added. Karen Shack told First Coast News the woman left the pharmacy but returned and shot McCants one more time. The suspect has been identified as 46-year-old Brenda Joyce Coney.


Worker dies, another critical after fall in home's elevator shaft

Alpine, UT - A construction worker died and another was gravely injured after falling more than 50 feet down an elevator shaft in an Alpine home on Monday. The two men were installing drywall near the ceiling of a four-story home about 10 a.m. when their scaffolding fell, said Deputy Fire Chief Brad Freeman. The workers tumbled down the home's elevator shaft and landed among debris on the concrete basement floor. Firefighters found the workers "in a crumple," Freeman said. One died, and the other was flown by helicopter to University Hospital with head trauma, a broken shoulder and five open fractures on his legs. Freeman described the man as in extremely critical condition. Authorities have not yet identified the fall victims, but described them as Latinos in their 20s.


Investigation opens in Kutztown mishap

Kutztown, PA - Learning why, how bus fell on mechanic may take a while, says official. Federal authorities began their investigation Tuesday into how a bus crushed a 20-year-old mechanic Monday at the Carl R. Bieber Tourways terminal in Kutztown and said they do not expect a quick conclusion into their investigation. Jason Obyle, of New Tripoli was pronounced dead Monday afternoon at Reading Hospital after the bus fell on him, Berks County Deputy Coroner Kay Eisenhower said. Coroner's officials said the cause and manner of death is pending completion of the investigation.


Construction worker at Wal-Mart center dies in accident

GAS CITY, FL -- The death investigation of a Florida man continues today as officials work to uncover the specifics behind the Monday morning fatality that occurred in the cold storage area of the Wal-Mart Distribution Center. Humberto Menvez, 61, died Monday after experiencing blunt force trauma to his head and neck. An autopsy was conducted Monday afternoon at Marion General Hospital. Chief Deputy Coroner Kevin Evans said the injury occurred when Menvez was riding in a hydraulic lift bucket, more commonly known as a "cherry picker," and was crushed to death. "He got caught between (the machine) and a beam," Evans said. Evans said the accident occurred around 9 a.m. Monday at the distribution center, under construction at 110 Fischer Parkway. He said he did not know what company the man was affiliated with. Evans added that a funeral home was contacted Monday as well as the family. Menvez's body will be transported to Mexico for burial.


Experts sift for clues to doctor's plane crash

Milford, IL - Aviation investigators combed a rural area in Illinois today searching for clues that would help determine why a prominent Indianapolis psychiatrist's plane crashed, killing him a few hours after he had testified in a murder trial. Dr. Larry Davis, who served as an expert witness in hundreds of criminal cases, was the only person on board the Piper Cherokee, authorities say, when the plane went down about 5:30 p.m. Monday in a field south of Milford and a few miles west of the Indiana border. Iroquois County Coroner Bill Cheatum said preliminary results of an autopsy Tuesday found no health problems that could have led to the accident. “This is horrible,” said Bob Hammerle, an Indianapolis defense attorney. “Aside from the obvious personal tragedy, it’s one of those losses that creates a professional void. There isn’t anyone else that operates at his level.”


Two Killed after Cable Tech Hits Gas Line

Huntingon, IN - Two people were killed in Huntingon, Ind., Monday, after a Comcast cable technician reportedly hit a gas line. Resident 75-year-old Emilie Wilson and R. Alan Dalrymple, 50, a 21-year veteran of local gas company Vectren Corp., died in the explosion that engulfed Wilson's home in flames, according to The Herald Press Huntington. Wilson's husband Jack Wilson was injured in the blast, suffering burns on 25% to 27% of his body. A Comcast employee called the gas company to report that he had hit a gas line, according to the newspaper. The employee, who was airlifted to St. Joseph Regional Burn Center in Fort Wayne, was not named. He was listed in critical condition on Tuesday, according to the Herald Press.


Man's death under probe, Phenix City water worker buried alive

Phenix City, GA - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Mobile, Ala., is investigating the death of a man who was buried alive Monday at the Phenix City Water Filtration Plant. Russell County Coroner John Morgan identified the victim Tuesday as Timothy Haker, 23, of Childersburg, Ala. He was buried under about 8 feet of dirt after dirt walls surrounding him in a manhole collapsed. Haker, an employee of P.F. Moon, suffocated underneath the rubble, Morgan said. Ken Atha, the area director for OSHA's Mobile office, is investigating the death. Atha said working in and around trenches is considered extremely hazardous work. His office investigates several trench-related deaths each year. "We have a national emphasis program because of the number of fatalities we've seen over the years," Atha said. There are basic safety guidelines employers should follow, he said. One is they need to classify the soil and they also must provide protection for the employee who's going to work inside the trench.


On-the-job accident results in death of an Arctic Slope worker

NORTH SLOPE, AK -- An Arctic Slope Regional Corp. Energy Services worker died after an on-the-job accident on the North Slope last week, according to the state's office of Occupational Safety and Health. Cole Griggs was involved in an accident on Nov. 14 on the North Slope. He was transported to Anchorage and died two days later, said Steve Standley, the chief of enforcement for Occupational Safety and Health. Standley said he would not discuss the details of the incident and that it was under investigation. Calls to the company were not immediately returned.


Johnson County farmer dies in tractor accident

Johnson County, WI - A 70-year-old Sterling man died as a result of injuries he suffered in a farming accident Tuesday. Investigators say Charles Bartels was using a tractor to move trees on his property about 3½ miles northwest of Sterling when he got pinned between the tractor and a tree, according to Nebraska State Patrol Spokeswoman Deb Collins. Bartels managed to free himself and return to his house, where his family found him dead around 2 p.m. Tuesday. An autopsy revealed Bartels died of internal injuries. The State Patrol, along with the Johnson County Sheriff’s office, investigated his death.


Dallas Man Killed In Industrial Accident

DALLAS, TX. -- A worker at Universal Forest Products in Dallas was killed when he was pulled into a piece of machinery. Police said Robert Lee Wallace, 55, was working on a machine used for manufacturing wood products when his coat became entangled and he was pulled into the conveyor system and crushed. He died at the scene from his injuries. Authorities said it was Wallace's job to keep wood debris free from the machine during its operation. The other employees at the plant were sent home for the day.


State investigates fatal explosion at Rollex plant

TN - The state of Tennessee is investigating an industrial accident at the Rollex Aluminum manufacturing plant last week that killed one worker. Jonathon Horton, 42, was injured about 11:25 p.m. Nov. 14 while using his forklift to remove a large container of molten metal impurities from the plant for recycling, according to a report from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Horton died from his injuries at 2 a.m. Saturday, according to the report. The impurities were taken "outside into raining weather, which caused an explosion," according to the report.

Utah Detective dies in chopper crash

Uintah County, UT -- As word of Uintah County Sheriff's Detective Kevin Orr's death spread through the rural county, those who knew him said he will be missed greatly. Orr, an 11-year veteran killed in a helicopter crash on Tuesday, leaves behind a wife, Holly Orr, and four children under the age of 12. They live in Lapointe, a small farming town west of Vernal. "[Kevin] died doing what he loved to do. He was always the first one to respond and out trying to help someone else," said Orr's brother-in-law, Eric Hartle. "In our eyes he died a hero." Orr and pilot Brian Grayson from Reno, Nev., were in the helicopter searching for a missing Jensen woman when it struck power lines and dropped into the Green River about 12:50 p.m. Sheriff's Lt. John Laursen confirmed Orr's death this morning.


Local man killed in Jax shooting

Jacksonville, FL - Michael Shane Crawford, 34 of Macclenny, became a victim of the increasing violence in Duval County after being fatally shot Friday morning shortly after 9:00 am. He had just began a new job in the Moncrief Road area of Jacksonville that morning. Few details have been released, but JSO SWAT team members responded to the area after Crawford collapsed in front of a convenience store. According to police, they first thought the unknown gunman was inside the nearby Washington Heights apartments, but later found the apartment was empty. The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to contact the JSO. Crawford is survived by his wife Sandra Lynn Crawford and four children; his parents Ronnie and Mary Burnsed Crawford; Paternal Grandmother, Sadie Crawford; and Maternal Grandmother; Lena Burnsed.


Man killed in construction fall

DULUTH, GA — A construction worker was killed after falling about 20 feet Tuesday.The man, whose name was not available at press time, was installing a cornice on the roof of a house that was under construction in the Sugarloaf Country Club, said Lt. Thomas Rutledge, spokesman for the Gwinnett County Fire Department. The man was working from a wooden platform that was supported by two ladders, Rutledge said. Firefighters responded to Moye Trail after receiving a call at 5:33 p.m., where the man was found dead. Firefighters contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Rutledge said, and turned the scene over to the Gwinnett County Police Department.Cpl. Darren Moloney, spokesman for the department, did not respond to several requests for more information about the incident.


Tionesta man killed in accident at Electralloy

Oil City, PA - Tionesta man was killed in a workplace accident Tuesday night at the Electralloy plant on 175 Main St., Oil City. Paul L. Luketic, 58, of Tionesta, was pronounced dead at 11:09 p.m. Tuesday, according to Venango County Coroner John Greggs. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the trunk and pelvic region following an autopsy in Erie, Greggs said. Luketic was pinned between a steel support column and a fork truck hauling a 9,500-pound ingot during the 10:10 p.m. accident, Greggs said. "The fork truck was backing up to put the item on the weigh station and the driver evidently did not see the man standing by the steel column and he was pinned," Greggs said.


Whitehall man dies after truck touches electrical wires

Bethlehem, PA - Joe Murtha was working on the roof of his Bethlehem Township home this afternoon when he shouted out a warning to avoid electrical wires to delivery man James A. Schock, who was loading shingles using a hydraulic lift. Murtha heard a zapping noise as the top of the boom touched a wire. Murtha yelled for his wife to call 911 and told Schock not to move . But within a few minutes Schock was electrocuted and a fast-moving fire engulfed the worker's truck in Murtha's driveway at 3119 Northampton St. Northampton County Chief Deputy Coroner Kelly Gillis said Schock, 35, of Whitehall on the scene at 1:33 p.m. The Northampton County coroner's office is investigating the death, and a representative from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also was called to the scene.


Goddard Man Killed at Nursery

West Kellogg, KS - A 23-year-old Goddard man dies after he's run over by a tractor. It happened Friday afternoon at Brady's Nursery on West Kellogg. Police say a Bobcat tractor struck the man as he worked outside. Police say the man may have fallen off the tractor before he was hit. The man's name has not been released.


Man, 19, dies after fall from roof

OSHKOSH, WI — A Black Creek man died Friday after a construction accident at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Michael A. Bowers, 19, fell from the roof of the university’s two-story nursing and education building where he was working on removing cooling equipment, authorities said. “It looks like it was a work-related accident,” said Officer Joe Schroeder of the UW-Oshkosh Police Department. The Oshkosh Fire Department, UW-Oshkosh campus police and Oshkosh Police Department responded at about 9:50 a.m. to the accident. Bowers was taken to Aurora Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, Winnebago County Coroner Barry Busby said. Busby said the cause of death was a head injury. He said Bowers’ death is being ruled an accident.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was contacted and an investigation is ongoing.


Police: Teen Arrested For Killing Cabbie

AKRON, Ohio -- A teenager was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing an Akron cab driver Thanksgiving night during a robbery attempt. Warren Miller, 37, was an electrician moonlighting as a cab driver to support his family, NewsChannel5 reported. Police said on Thanksgiving night Miller was dispatched to an address on Pondview Avenue, he was shot and killed in his cab. Dispatcher: "911, did you know the driver?" Caller: "I just asked if he was OK and there's blood all over in front of the thing. It definitely looks like he got shot." "Yes, it appears the 17-year-old was on the outside of the vehicle. It's looking like a robbery attempt," said Lt. Rick Edwards.


Mitchell Co. farmer killed while working in fields

Mitchell Co., GA - A south Georgia man was killed over the weekend in a farming accident. Forty-three year old Stacey Mills of Whigham was crushed between two pieces of farm equipment Saturday night. Mills was standing behind his cotton picker near Lodgetown Road, when a worker backed a wagon into him, pinning him between the picker and wagon. Mills was taken to Mitchell County Hospital where he died.


Manager Found Dead In North Suburban Burger King

Lindenhurst, IL - Police Say Robbery Was The Motive. An employee of a Burger King in far north suburban Lindenhurst came to work early this morning to find her co-worker dead in an office. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports the woman was attacked before. Forty-five-year-old Mary Hutchison was robbed while managing another Burger King a few miles away. Hutchison's husband said in March she was closing the shop at an Antioch Burger King when she was robbed and beaten at gunpoint. She transferred to the Lindenhurst after that incident and was still undergoing counseling for the first attack...Monday's shooting happened at a Burger King at Munn Road and Grand Avenue in Lindenhurst.


Construction worker dies after tractor plunges into lake

FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) — Lee County authorities say a construction worker was killed after the tractor he was driving tumbled down a steep embankment and plunged into a lake. Sheriff officials say 18-year-old David Vasquez of Lehigh Acres was grading dirt near the man-made lake when the tractor suddenly slid yesterday. Investigators say Vasquez screamed for help but went under water and didn't resurface. A co-worker went into the water, but wasn't able to find him. A rescue team located Vasquez, but it's estimated that he was under water for almost 30 minutes. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.


Worker killed in gas accident

Mesa, CO - A man working for an EnCana Oil and Gas contractor died Monday afternoon after a natural gas pipeline burst about eight miles east of the town of Mesa, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department. The accident happened around 1 p.m. near a hay field on private property at 56468 ME Road. The 20-year-old man received a head injury and medics on scene could not revive him, according to the Sheriff’s Department.


Man severely burned in Indiantown citrus plant accident dies

Miami, FL - One of the three men severely burned in an accident at the Louis Dreyfus Citrus Company earlier this month has died, according to a family friend. Robert Rogers, 53, of Okeechobee died Saturday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, according to Linda Killian, who knew the Rogers family from a local Boy Scout troop. Rogers, a husband and father of four, was born in Indiantown and had worked at the plant about 20 years. Arturo Ramos-Castro, 50, of Indiantown, and Salvador Calderon, 36, of Pahokee, whose conditions are unknown today, were working with Rogers at the Indiantown juice plant when the accident occurred Nov. 15. The three men were repairing an evaporator pump underneath a large vat of 200-degree water when the seam burst under the weight of the water, according to Martin County Fire Marshal Jon Pasqualone.


Worker Killed After Being Blown Out Of Hole

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- Head injuries are being blamed for the death of a contract gas worker injured in a worksite accident this week east of Molina. Mesa County coroner's officials said 19-year-old Ricky Dale Erb was thrown through the air and onto his head when a gas line ruptured and blew him out of a five-foot-deep hole. Pathologist Dean Havlik said Erb died of a blunt-force head injury.


SSJID treatment plant worker dies

Manteca, CA - A South San Joaquin Irrigation District water treatment plant employee fell to his death Tuesday morning. The accident took place inside the treatment plant’s main building on Dodds Road just less than a mile west of the base of Woodward Reservoir some 15 miles northeast of Manteca. John Joeringer of Modesto fell 15 feet to the main floor. SSJID Assistant Manager John Stein said state safety authorities are investigating the accident. It is the first fatal work-related SSJID accident in at least 25 years.


Accidents kill two BP contract workers

BP said two contract drilling workers were killed in separate accidents within four days earlier this month in Alaska and Oklahoma. Both workers suffered head injuries "in the course of normal activities" during the drilling of wells, Ronnie Chappell, a BP spokesman in Houston, said Tuesday. Investigations into the causes of the deaths are still pending, he said. BP said it is cooperating with government agencies in both states on the probes. One of the workers, killed Nov. 13 at the Milne Point oil field on Alaska's North Slope, was working outdoors near a parked vehicle when he fell and struck his head, Chappell said. The worker was employed by ASRC Energy Services, an Anchorage-based oil-field-services contractor. The second accident happened on Nov. 17 after the drilling of a well in eastern Oklahoma. The worker, employed by H2S Safety Plus of Sulphur, Okla., was cleaning a tank when he was struck in the head by the hand-held wand of a high-pressure washer, killing him, Chappell said. Chappell declined to identify the workers.


Amish Woman Killed In Farm Accident

St. Charles, Minn -- An Amish woman is dead after falling from a horse-drawn farm implement near St. Charles in southeastern Minnesota. Winona County Sheriff Dave Brand says 21-year-old Mary D. Miller was thrown when the horses became spooked. Brand said Miller and her husband had just completed unloading a round hay bale for some livestock when the accident happened around 7 a.m. Friday. The implement was going through a gate when Miller was thrown. She was dead at the scene.


Survey worker killed on N.C. 73

Kannapolis, NC - A surveyor working near the roadway of N.C. 73 was killed around 11 a.m. Tuesday when he was struck by a passing motorist. Thomas Ross Paxton, 28, of 2201 East Main St., Kannapolis, was at the white line near a curve on N.C. 73 placing a geodesic marker, used for curved surface measurement, prior to the fatal impact. Danny Allen Bost, 50, of 34897 Banks Road, Mt. Pleasant, was driving a 1995 Ford Escort traveling east on N.C. 73 toward the Department of Motor Vehicles when the impact occurred. North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) reports indicated no aggravating factors in the collision.


Deli owner slain in robbery; Police seek two teens as anguished friends grieve the loss of caring community member

Buffalo, NY - A deli owner gunned down in cold blood Wednesday morning is the third Buffalo businessman to be shot to death in broad daylight this year. Lutf Saeed, 38, a father of three, was alone at about 10:15 a.m. in Myheeb's Deli at Fillmore and Rodney avenues in the Fillmore-Leroy neighborhood when two teenage boys entered the store. The boys -- believed to be about 14 years old -- stole money from the cash register and fatally shot Saeed once in the chest, police said.


Construction worker killed in accident at job site

Atwater, CA - A 42-year-old construction worker died Wednesday afternoon when he fell into a large electrical junction box at a new housing subdivision, according to Atwater Police Department reports. The worker fell approximately six feet into the junction box in the 3:33 p.m. accident at the Meadow View Estates housing subdivision being built in the 2100 block of Pira Drive. Atwater Police Department Detective Armando Echevarria said the man, whose identity has not been released by the coroner pending notification of next-of-kin, was pronounced dead at the scene of injuries as a result of the fall.


Employee, 49, dies in paving accident

The death of a Rochester man Friday at a paving site west of Chandler, Ind., in Warrick County remains under investigation. Police said Ralph B. Riffle Jr., 49, of Rochester, was killed when a concrete truck backed over him at a construction site at 12:14 p.m. Friday.The location was on Indiana 62, where the road is being widened from two to four lanes, authorities said. Riffle was an employee of E & B Paving Inc., and was working at the time of the accident, police said.



Deffenbaugh worker killed was from Bluffs

Council Bluffs, IA - A Deffenbaugh Industries worker died Tuesday when he was crushed between a large trash container and a disposal truck. Killed was Bernard L. Lawrence, 43, of Council Bluffs. The accident came a year to the day after a Deffenbaugh supervisor was hit on the North Freeway by a car driven by a Deffenbaugh driver. The supervisor, Saerun Williams, lost both of her legs in the crash. The driver, Ken Cook, got out of his car to check on Williams and was hit by another car. He lost his right leg just below the knee and suffered other injuries.


New twists in death of sheriff's deputy

Miami, FL - Broward Sheriff's Deputy Brian Tephford, the father of twin toddlers and a 4-year-old girl, was shot to death executing one of the most routine but dangerous acts that a law enforcement officer will face: a traffic stop. And it was the kind of stop that Tephford was experienced to conduct, a simple registration check. Records show that in one year, Tephford had handed out 406 traffic citations. On Monday, two days after the 34-year-old Tamarac deputy was slain and another deputy wounded, new details emerged about the traffic stop-turned ambush that claimed the deputy's life and led to the arrests of three suspects.


Longshore death investigated: State, union, terminal will look into accident that killed worker

Tacoma, Wash. - Nov. 14--The Department of Labor and Industry was investigating Monday the cause of an industrial accident that killed a Tacoma longshore worker over the weekend. Kenneth Eddo, 52, died early Saturday after the "hustler" vehicle he was driving rolled over while moving cargo. Eddo was working at the APM Terminal at the Port of Tacoma. A hustler is used to move shipping containers around marine terminals.


Man fatally shot in Petersburg; Police have no motive and no witnesses in killing of store owner

VA - A member of a well-known Petersburg business family was shot to death early yesterday morning as he prepared to open the Lowry Tire store in the city's Blandford neighborhood. Robert L. Braswell Jr., 43, apparently had just arrived at his business at North Crater Road and Bank Street about 6:40 a.m. and was walking from his Ford Explorer to the front door when he was shot, said Petersburg police Capt. Greg Seidel.


Metro worker killed, another injured

Alexandria, MD-One Metro worker was killed and another was critically injured when they were struck by a train on the Yellow Line yesterday morning. Leslie A. Cherry, a 29-year Metro employee, and another Metro worker were inspecting the roughly half-mile stretch of elevated track between the Huntington and Eisenhower Avenue stations in Alexandria when they were hit, Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. Mr. Cherry, 52, of Maryland, was killed. He was planning to retire in February, a co-worker said. The four-car train, which was empty and not in service, was headed to the Alexandria rail yard from the Huntington station at about 9:30 a.m. Mr. Cherry was a track walker whose duties included cleaning and clearing the tracks and checking for damage to the rails.


Atlanta worker killed in wall collapse at Mobile project

MOBILE, Ala. - A 25-year-old worker was killed at a construction project when a concrete wall fell on him at Spring Hill College in Mobile. Police said the accident Thursday claimed the life of Angelo Sanchez of Atlanta. A spokesman for the Roman Catholic school said Sanchez was working on the third floor at Viragh Hall, a new dormitory, when a 10-by-8 concrete wall collapsed on him. No one else was injured. Sanchez worked for Foundation Contractors Inc. of Atlanta, Spring Hill College spokesman John Kerr said.


Rehoboth dad dies in equipment accident

North Attleboro, MA- A father of two who had taken over the family construction business was killed yesterday in North Attleboro when his paver rolled off the trailer as he was loading it after a day’s work. Horacio Debrum, 35, of Rehoboth was pinned under the paver, which had to be lifted off him by a frontend loader.


Worker found dead at Illinois Burger King

Lindenhurst, Ill. - A Burger King employee was killed and her body was found early Monday at the suburban restaurant, officials said.The victim was identified as Mary Hutchison, 45, of Trevor, Wis., which is about 10 miles north of the restaurant. Her death appears to be related to a robbery, according to the Lindenhurst Police Department.


Newberry Man Killed In Workplace Accident

LAURENS, S.C. (AP) - A Newberry man has died after he became entangled in a conveyor belt at a plant in Laurens County. Coroner Nick Nichols says 45-year-old Terry Charles Brooks was found Wednesday afternoon at a plant near Joanna that grinds up trees to make particle board.


Man killed in accident at mine

DECKER, MT - An employee at the Spring Creek coal mine near here was killed on the job early Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the mine's parent company said. Haul-truck operator Mario Corriveau, 50, of the Sheridan, Wyo., area, died in an accident at about 1:15 a.m., said Heidi Lowe of Rio Tinto Energy America in Gillette, Wyo. He had worked at the mine for about two years, she said.


Hudson man dies on construction site

HUDSON, NY - 58-year-old man lost balance on extension ladder nearly three stories high, hit power line on way down A Hudson man died Tuesday after losing his balance on an extension ladder stretched nearly three stories. The man hit a power line on his way to the ground. The 58-year-old man was working as a sub-contractor on a renovation project on a three-story apartment building in the 200 block of Columbia Street in Hudson. Police said he was near the roof level removing a scaffolding bracket, when he lost his balance, struck a power line and then fell to the ground. The man, whose identity is being withheld until his family can be told of his death, was pronounced dead at Columbia Memorial Hospital a short time later.


Two killed in crash on Nogales Highway

Nogales, AZ - A cab driver, driving on the wrong side of a two-lane road, collided head-on with another vehicle on South Nogales Highway near Old Vail Connection just after 2:00 Monday afternoon. The cabbie, 75-year-old John Taylor, was killed, and so was a passenger in the other car, 45- year-old Marcella Nunez.


Officials ID tow-truck driver killed on 101

Authorities on Monday identified the tow-truck driver who was killed about 8 p.m. Sunday in a collision on Loop 101 in the West Valley. Mark Walsh, 49, of Phoenix, a worker for Unique Towing, died at the scene, said Detective Tim Mason, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The fatality occurred after Unique Towing was called to remove vehicles involved in an earlier two-vehicle crash on southbound Loop 101 near Camelback Road, Mason said. As Walsh was loading a vehicle onto his two truck, he was struck by a vehicle driven by Shirley Stulce, 62, of Phoenix, killing him, Mason said.


Truck Falls From Overpass; Driver Killed

HOUSTON, TX -- A driver died when his truck fell from an overpass on Monday, KPRC Local 2 reported. The accident happened on the Eastex Freeway at the North Loop at about 9:20 a.m. The truck broke apart completely, scattering pieces in a grassy area. Houston police said the driver was pinned under the wreckage. The truck was carrying chicken parts, officials said.


Firefighter killed responding to emergency

Melrose, MN - Kyle Weisbrich was on his way to the fire hall in small-town Melrose Sunday morning when his motorcycle collided with a car. The 22-year-old volunteer firefighter suffered head injuries and was taken to Melrose Hospital, where he died.


Fall from lift truck is fatal

A 46-year-old lighting installer died after falling from a lift truck Wednesday. Paul McCaulley of Dellroy was installing lights about noon along Interstate 480 in North Ridgeville for a company called Ridge Electric, based in Magnolia. He fell from the aerial-lift truck's bucket. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.


Second body found in Sierra train wreck

A second body was recovered Friday from a Union Pacific train wreck in a remote canyon of the Sierra Nevada foothills, after a derailment that killed two and caused a small chemical fire. Identification of the two victims has not yet been established, and Placer County Sheriff officials said it could take several more days because of the condition of the bodies.

Firefighters were able Thursday night to extinguish a fire fed by thousands of gallons of fuel and other combustible chemicals that spilled from the nine-car train. Work crews have also cleared the eastbound tracks allowing some traffic to resume.

The incident began about noon Thursday when thick smoke was spotted coming from the canyon about 60 miles east of Sacramento near the hamlet of Baxter, just off Interstate 80.
Eight of the 10 workers onboard had minor injuries. Authorities also immediately confirmed one worker had been killed but until early Friday, they could not account for the other worker who has now also been confirmed dead. The train carried more than 11,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 6,000 gallons of hydraulic fluid, as well as smaller amounts of acetylene, oxygen and propane.


Deputy who died while diving for evidence is laid to rest

LEWISTON Maine -- A sheriff's deputy who died last weekend while diving for evidence in the Androscoggin River was laid to rest Thursday after a funeral Mass at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Hundreds of people, including police officers and military personnel from across Maine, paid last respects to David Rancourt, a 10-year veteran of the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Department and a former Army reservist who served two tours in Iraq. Rancourt, 40, of Leeds, suffered a heart attack during a dive on Saturday. He left behind his pregnant wife, Dawn, and an 8-year-old son.


Officer killed by car while trying to move deer carcass off road

COOPERSBURG Pa. - A police officer trying to take a deer carcass off a highway Thursday morning was struck by a minivan and killed, authorities said. Upper Saucon Township Investigator David Petzold was struck at about 6:05 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Route 309, officials said. He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 7 a.m.


Death of worker prompts review


Albuquerque, NM -- After a temporary city anti-litter worker was struck and killed on the shoulder of I-40, officials are trying to assess what went wrong and where the Albuquerque Clean Cities program goes from here. The worker died Thursday morning on eastbound I-40 between Wyoming and Eubank boulevards Northeast after being struck by a car observers said had been weaving. Albuquerque police say Jay Campbell, 48, was picking up trash with a colleague, who was uninjured.


Worker dies working at Cedar Falls Hy-Vee

Cedar Falls, IA -- An electrical worker from Des Moines has died while working on a new Hy-Vee store in Cedar Falls. The victim has been identified as Christopher John Turney, an employee of Kline Electric of Ankeny. Police Lt. Michael McCallum said Turney died while working with electrical wires on metal scaffolding.


Firefighter Killed Battling Farmhouse Fire

KENT, Ind. -- One firefighter died and a fire chief was injured trying to save him from a blaze that destroyed a 10,000-square-foot home at a southeastern Indiana horse farm. Kent Fire Department volunteer Greg Cloud, 33, was killed when flames inside the farmhouse erupted in a flashover Wednesday morning, officials said. Madison Township Fire Chief Robert Black hurt his leg while trying to help Cloud, said Sgt. Noel Houze, an Indiana State Police spokesman. Black was hospitalized and was expected to have surgery later Wednesday.


Police name clerk killed in Franklinton carryout

Police have identified a Franklinton carryout clerk killed over the weekend in what might have been a robbery. Gerensae Tekie, 52, was found dead Saturday inside Sam's Food and Deli at 981 Sullivant Ave. He had been shot to death.


TRACTOR DRIVER DIES IN ROLLOVER

SAUK COUNTY -- A man driving a tractor died Sunday in Sauk County after hitting a pickup truck and rolling over, according to the Sauk County Sheriff's Office. The crash happened on Highway DD, about one mile south of the village of Rock Springs. The tractor driver, whose name was not released, hit a slow-moving pickup while both were driving south on Highway DD. The tractor rolled over, pinning the driver, the sheriff's office said. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Sauk County Coroner's Office.


2 CHARGED WITH KILLING MERCHANT

Pontiac, MI -- Two Rochester Hills men suspected of killing the 73-year-old owner of a party store were arraigned Saturday in Pontiac on three counts each of open murder, conspiracy to commit murder and armed robbery. Gordon Mellings, 47, and Adam Kadrioski, 30, were not granted bond during the arraignment in Oakland County Circuit Court.

Police said the men came into Bozana's Party Store, 1629 E. Auburn Road between John R and Dequindre in Rochester Hills, at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday and assaulted store owner Cedomir Taseski, stabbing him in the chest and neck.


Grocery worker is mourned

New York, NY -- Hussin Saleh frantically dialed 911 when he saw his Marine Park grocery co-worker struggling with armed robbers in the store, Saleh's sister said. "Call the police!" Ahmed Shaibi yelled in Arabic as he fought. "Call the police!" But as Saleh called, a gunman fired a bullet into Shaibi's head, felling him inside the store where he toiled more than 80 hours a week, said Hanea Saleh, 23.


DELI WORKER SHOT DEAD IN BROOKLYN

Brooklyn, NY -- A HARDWORKING Brooklyn deli clerk was gunned down last night by robbers after struggling with them over the cash register loot, police and witnesses said.The victim, who was in his 50s, was shot once in the head and died at Coney Island Hospital, cops said.


Guard shot, killed at Atlanta club

ATLANTA, GA -- Police are looking for the person who shot and killed a security guard at a popular restaurant and club on Peachtree Street.vWyman "Mark" Madison, 32, was escorting unruly patrons out of club, Django, early Sunday when he was shot in the neck.
Madison died later at Crawford Long Hospital.


Motel worker accused in death of owner

TROY Mo. -- A motel handyman faces charges in the death of his boss. Charles Benoit, 42, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Saunak Kapadia, 56. Both men lived at the Budget Inn and Suites in Troy, about 60 miles north of St. Louis. Kapadia owned the motel; Benoit did odd jobs there.


Worker killed in bridge accident

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -- A 45-year-old man fell about 90 feet to his death on Thursday, Sept. 26 from the Santa Margarita Parkway Bridge -- the second such incident in a year. Authorities identified the man as Gregory Wolters of Mission Viejo, an employee of Econolite Control Products Inc., a company contracted by Rancho Santa Margarita to work on traffic-control equipment.

City Public Works Director and City Engineer Tom Wheeler said that Wolters was most likely doing a survey that morning that required him to drive around and note if any lights on the bridge were out.


Police look for guard's killer

Atlanta, GA -- Atlanta police are looking for a person who shot and killed a security guard Sunday at a popular restaurant and club on Peachtree Street. The guard, identified as Wyman "Mark" Madison, 32, was escorting unruly patrons out of Club D'Jango around 3:45 a.m. when he was shot in the neck. He died later at Crawford Long Hospital. The shooter fled on foot. Atlanta police spokesman Joe Cobb said it was unclear whether the shooter was one of the club patrons that had been escorted out. "As soon as they cleared the door and got outside, the security guard was shot," he said. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call the homicide unit at 404-853-4235.


Gas station clerks fatally shot; assailant at large

Carson, CA -- Two employees of a Carson gas station -- one who planned to retire soon and the other who was just starting on the job -- were shot to death early Saturday.

The bodies of Eduardo Roco, 74, of Carson and Esther Arteaga, 32, of Wilmington were found behind the sales counter by the owner about 5 a.m., according to Los Angeles County sheriff's officials.


Clerk confronts robbers, is killed;

Los Angeles, CA -- When the robbers shoved a note at him, store clerk Simon Khalil threw it back. That's when they shot him. The 35-year-old Syrian immigrant died hours later at California Hospital after being shot at point-blank range by an assailant wielding a black handgun. Police said two robbers entered Khalil's family business, Maple Liquor and Market in the 3000 block of Maple Avenue in South L.A., about 1 p.m. Thursday and waited for customers to leave before springing the note on Khalil.

After throwing the note back at them, Khalil walked around the counter and confronted the men. One robber pulled a sawed-off shotgun from his waistband, and the other pulled a handgun and fired.


Man Charged With Murder In Death of Co-Worker; Woman Was Stabbed at Mall Store

Gaithersburg, MD -- A 20-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a 35-year-old female co-worker at a J.C. Penney store in Gaithersburg was charged yesterday with first-degree murder, Montgomery County police said. Josue Ray Dupree stabbed Ana Elisa Mejia Avila about 3:15 p.m. Thursday on the loading dock of the department store at Lakeforest Mall, where they worked, police said. Mejia, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, had three children and was looking forward to being reunited with her husband, who is in the Dominican Republic waiting for his green card application to be approved.


Border Patrol agent dies in vehicle accident

AJO Ariz. -- A U.S. Border Patrol agent died Friday from injuries suffered in a single-vehicle accident, authorities said. The agent, whose identity was not immediately released, was assigned to the Ajo Station. Border Patrol officials said the agent suffered massive injuries from the accident on State Route 86 and was pronounced dead at the scene about 6 p.m. It was the second fatal vehicle accident involving a Border Patrol agent from the Ajo Station this year.


HALFWAY HOUSE OPERATOR FOUND SLAIN IN DELRAY

Delray Beach, FL -- Word among recovering drug addicts was that they could always turn to Andre Stewart for a place to stay in Delray Beach. "His philosophy was he would take anyone with or without money," said Harold Jonas, a mental-health counselor who knew Stewart for his work as the operator of three halfway houses. "You show up and you get a bed."

Stewart's killing Wednesday night saddened the recovering community here and his family. They were left wondering who would want to end the life of a man who had helped so many people. Stewart, 43, was found dead about 9:45 p.m. in his driveway in the 300 block of Southwest Fifth Avenue, police said. He had severe head injuries.


Metrorail security guard shot dead at station;

Miami, FL -- A gunshot pierced the night at a Liberty City Metrorail station. A man in dark clothes was seen running. A murder victim lay on the ground, her face familiar to riders. Her name was Chermaine Joseph-Quetel, 44, an armed security guard who investigators say was shot dead as she was making her rounds Sunday night at the Martin Luther King Metrorail station, 6305 NW 27th Ave. She never unholstered her sidearm. Joseph-Quetel died with her husband by her side. He also works as a guard patrolling the station.



Hudson man dies in forklift accident

HUDSON, NY -- A Hudson man was killed Thursday when a forklift he was operating pinned him between the forklift and a trash bin, police said. Javier Gomez, 24, was operating the forklift at Hudson Fabrics fabric factory when it tipped due to a heavy load, police said. Coworkers attempted to move the forklift off Gomez, but couldn't by hand, police said. Finally, one employee used another forklift to move the first off Gomez.


TRUCKER CRUSHED TO DEATH AT BUSCH BREWERY

JAMES CITY, VA -- Police are treating the death Thursday of the Gloucester man as an industrial accident. A Gloucester man was accidentally crushed Thursday night while loading his tractor-trailer at the Anheuser-Busch brewery just south of Williamsburg, police said. The body of 54-year-old William Lee Yarosz was found by co-workers around 10 p.m. inside the trailer of his truck at the loading dock, James City County Police spokesman Mike Spearman said.

Yarosz, who worked for Biagi Bros. Trucking, had already unloaded the truck, and was in the process of reloading pallets of empty bottles and cans when the accident occurred, Spearman said.


Wayne man dies in truck accident

Sioux City, NE -- An employee of the Northeast Nebraska Public Power District died in a one-vehicle accident Thursday about 25 miles west of South Sioux City, Neb. John Bessmer, 24, of Wayne, Neb., was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident just north of the junction of U.S. Highway 20 and Nebraska Highway 9, an investigator for the Nebraska State Patrol said. Investigators determined that Bessmer was headed south on Highway 9 about 3:30 p.m. when the left-rear dual tires broke off the utility company truck he was driving.


Truck Driver Killed in Crash on I-20


Vicksburg, MS -- A horrifying crash Wednesday afternoon killed the driver of an 18 wheeler when the cab virtually disintegrated on impact on I-20 in Vicksburg. It happened around 1:30 p.m. in the westbound lane just before the Waterways Experiment Station exit. Vicksburg police say the truck is registered to B.C. Express, Inc., of Benton, Arkansas. The 29-year-old white male driver was killed when the rig slammed into a concrete bridge support. His name is not being released pending notification of next of kin.


Construction worker killed

Phoenix, AZ -- Daniel J. Gonzales, 40 of Phoenix, died Oct. 30 when the back hoe he was operating turned over, trapping him beneath it. Gonzales was trenching land at Northern Avenue and Skousen Road. He was placing pea gravel into a trench, and as he was backing away from the trench the back hoe overturned into a retention pond, pinning the operator. Other employees used a second back hoe to free Gonzales. He died at the scene.


Truck driver killed in crash on I-84

UNION, MA - A 31-year-old truck driver from Cape Cod was killed early Tuesday morning when his tractor-trailer veered onto the shoulder of Interstate 84, hit another tractor-trailer that was parked there, then careened onto its side into trees near the road, state police said. Killed in the crash was Robert Reilly of Onset, Mass.


Connecticut Firefighter Dies of Heart Attack in Station

Capt. Joseph Pagano, a 28-year veteran of the Middletown, Conn. Fire Department, died Friday, Nov. 3 while working at his desk in the station. Pagano, 52, went into cardiac arrest some time after 6 p.m., according to Deputy Chief Robert Kronenberger. Shortly before Pagano suffered the heart attack, he went to the kitchen to check to see when supper would be ready.


West Suburban Pizza Delivery Driver Found Dead

Chicago, IL -- A mother of four was found murdered in the Western Suburbs. Police say the 41-year-old woman was killed Thursday night while working as a pizza delivery driver. CBS 2's West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports that the woman wasn't even supposed to be working last night, because one of her sons was. But when he couldn't make it, she went to work in his place. They are trying to find out who killed Karen Hassan. Sheriff's deputies say the St. Charles woman appeared to have been struck in the head.


Cab driver killed in cab in Wichita Falls

Wichita Falls-It was a day's work that ended with a Wichita Falls cabbie dead and police searching for a suspect. David McDowell, 52, of Wichita Falls was found in his All-America taxi cab in a neighborhood on the city's eastside. A fellow cab driver discovered McDowell's body around 5:40 Friday morning. He went looking for McDowell after he couldn't reach him on the radio. Police say it appears McDowell died from a head injury, but they don't know what the weapon was that caused it.


Car driver killed in collision with fuel truck near Prescott

PRESCOTT, Wash. The State Patrol says a minimal amount of fuel spilled in the head-on collision that killed a driver on Highway 124 near Prescott. The patrol says 53-year-old Leodegario Silva Ortiz of Touchet (TOO-she) was killed last night when the car he was driving drifted over the centerline and collided with a tractor-trailer carrying a load of fuel. The truck driver, 44-year-old Barry Swift of Lewiston, Idaho, was not injured.


Officer's death prompts study of reflective vests

Los Angeles, CA - Stung by the recent death of an officer, Police Chief William J. Bratton said Thursday that his department was looking into providing officers with reflective vests to wear when investigating traffic incidents at night.

The action comes after the Oct. 22 death of Officer Landon Dorris, who was killed when he was struck by a car after walking into the street while investigating a minor traffic collision.


Schools worker found fatally shot in car

PASSAIC, NJ -- Police were looking for the killer of a Board of Education maintenance man found shot in his car early Wednesday. Jose Medina, 35, of Passaic was wounded in the head at 4:49 a.m. while he was behind the wheel of his vehicle at Passaic and Sixth streets, said Keith Furlong, acting police spokesman.


Rancher killed while working

NEWELL S.D. -- A rancher died Tuesday while digging post holes near his ranch northwest of Newell, according to authorities. Bernie Micheel, 63, was digging post holes with a digger attached to the power take-off on his tractor, reports said. The power take-off had no guard, and Micheel's clothing got caught in it, authorities said.


Worker Crushed

LANCASTER, PA -- A 24-year-old man died from massive head trauma today when he was crushed at a construction site in Lancaster, according to the sheriff's station there. Heriberto Perez was killed at 47th Street West and Avenue G at 3:14 p.m. when the worker was securing items to the bed of a flatbed trailer and the driver of a backhoe on the trailer lowered the front bucket and crushed him. Perez was declared dead at the scene.


WORKER DIES IN FALL

PORTAGE, WI -- A construction worker died Wednesday when he fell from the third floor of a building expansion project at Appleton Papers. Nick Schanen Jr., 46, of Horicon, fell through a hole in the third floor and landed on concrete at the ground level of the construction site about 1:10 p.m., Portage police said. Schanen was apparently on his first day on the job as a contract worker for Gunderson Construction, which is building the addition, said Appleton Papers spokesman William Van Den Brandt.


Man killed in accident at workplace

NASHVILLE Tenn. -- A man died from internal injuries Thursday after he slipped at work and a heavy object fell on him, police said. The 21-year-old man was not immediately identified, but he was working at Southern Medical Disposal when the accident happened.


2 truck drivers dead when train hits vehicles

ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- The drivers of two trucks were killed Wednesday when a train hit their vehicles as they were parked on the railroad tracks near Rio Puerco west of Albuquerque.

The drivers of a pickup truck and a dump truck were out of their trucks talking when the crash occurred about 8 a.m., Valencia County sheriff's deputies said. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified as Carol Duran, 55, of Edgewood and Robert Valencia, 53, of Albuquerque. They apparently were beside the dump truck and could not see the train coming, investigators said.


Recent deaths underscore dangers that face Va. watermen

A waterman for 26 of his 44 years, Mark Wayne Kellum used to say, "We was learnt by the old masters." Mark Kellum was taught the lessons of the water from the elder watermen, including his father, Stillman Curtis Kellum Sr., whose commercial fishing career spanned 49 years, said Mark's brother, Billy Kellum also a waterman. Mark got his boot caught in a net and was pitched into the chilly Atlantic waters just before sunrise.

Mark Kellum's death and those of two veteran Poquoson watermen within the past two weeks in October demonstrate the harsh potential for harm that's a constant companion to those who work the water.

The bodies of David F. Dryden, 70, and John W. Dryden Jr., 59, washed ashore in York County on Oct. 7, a day after their boat swamped as they attempted to retrieve nets near the mouth of the Poquoson River ahead of a storm. Mark Kellum is presumed drowned after going overboard 40 miles off Chincoteague Island. The crew of the Guinea-based Lady Annie had worked through the night and was nearly ready to return home when Kellum disappeared, said boat owner Richard Green, who wasn't aboard at the time.


Police look for evidence in apartment manager slaying

Reno, NV -- Reno police are looking for a pair of grey sweatpants that could contain forensic evidence further linking a jailed man to the bludgeoning death of his apartment manager last week.

Detectives said that about an hour after Jeffrey Sims allegedly attacked and robbed Joan Varley on Thursday in the office of the River's Edge Apartments near downtown Reno, he arranged a sexual favor with a man at a Virginia Street adult bookstore.


Construction worker dies

A 34-year-old construction worker has died from injuries suffered in an accident two weeks ago, the Fresno County Coroner's Office said. James Emmett, 34, of Clovis was injured Oct. 17 when he and another man were hit by a pickup on Belmont Avenue west of Marks Avenue. He died Monday, the Coroner's Office reported. Jason Collins, 28, of Fresno, Emmett's co-worker, was killed in the incident. The two men were working for Floyd Johnson Construction Co. of Clovis putting in a manhole when the accident happened about 7:45 a.m.

Security guard patrolling Tenn. high school on Halloween is shot, killed; suspect in custody

KNOXVILLE Tenn. -- A Virginia man charged with killing a security guard who was patrolling a high school to prevent Halloween mischief was being questioned Wednesday in the death of another man whose car was stolen. Carroll Lineberry, 39, was charged with murder Tuesday night in the death of guard Russell B. Kocur, also 39. Lineberry was being held on $750,000 bond.


Arlington loading ramp falls, kills worker

ARLINGTON, TX - A 51-year-old Dallas man died Tuesday morning when a large metal loading dock ramp fell and struck him, police said.

Calvin Harp was pronounced dead at an east Arlington industrial park on 110th Street, near Randol Mill Road. He was one of about a dozen employees of Anderson Paving Inc. who were removing the ramps from loading docks at an empty industrial building. The men had removed two of more than a dozen ramps about 7:40 a.m. when the accident occurred. "One of the ramps broke loose from its moorings and fell," Arlington police Sgt. R. Grimmett said. The victim was standing nearby and was struck, police said.


Ky. officer killed in friendly fire accident

BOWLING GREEN Ky. -- A south-central Kentucky police officer was fatally shot when fellow officers tried to protect him from a knife attack, Kentucky State Police said. The man brandishing the knives also died. Police said he was believed to be an Edmonton resident. Bowling Green Master Officer David Whitson, 34, was killed Tuesday at a residence where officers responded to a call for help from a female, who reported someone wielding a knife, state police said.


Fifth firefighter dies of burns

Palm Springs, CA -- Hours after firefighter Pablo Cerda on Tuesday became the fifth and final member of a U.S. Forest Service crew to die after they were overrun by an out-of-control wildfire near Palm Springs, authorities said they arrested a suspect in connection with previous blazes in the San Gorgonio Pass area, and named him a "person of interest" in last week's deadly fire. Cerda, 23, fought to survive for six days at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton before succumbing at 5:08 p.m. to burns over 90% of his body. He lived in Fountain Valley, where he cared for his father, and was in his second season with the Forest Service.


Construction Worker Struck & Killed By Semi

Construction work will resume on the Marsha Sharp Freeway Wednesday. It has stopped for the day after a construction worker was hit and killed by a semi-truck. EMS rushed to the scene at 4th and Avenue V just before Noon Tuesday. They took 21-year old Cody Dwight Green to University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Green was washing down some orange construction barrels, and he apparently walked out into the road. The semi-driver was headed west, driving a C&R transport unit. Apparently Green went to grab something in the road, and the semi-driver saw him, but just didn't have time to react.


Cement Truck Driver Killed in Rollover Accident

Police say a maneuver by a cement truck driver in a Colorado Springs neighborhood...probably saved lives, but it cost him his own. Police say 52 year-old Michael Griswold was driving a cement truck when he had some sort of mechanical failure and couldn't stop. Many believe that’s when he took matters into his own hands, sacrificing his own life for others.


Union IDs latest coal mine victim

MORGANTOWN W.Va. -- The United Mine Workers says West Virginia's latest coal mining victim is one of its own. Bret Gibson, 31, of Oceana died Monday at Bluestone Coal's Double Bonus No. 65 Mine in southern West Virginia, the 43rd coal miner killed nationwide on the job so far this year, UMW President Cecil Roberts said Tuesday. Gibson was a member of Local 6196. Dave Lane, 31, of Mullens, was seriously injured in the accident Monday, said Caryn Gresham, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training.

Though the accident remains under investigation, it appears that Lane and Gibson were preparing to work on a shuttle car on a slope when the vehicle moved, Gresham said. Gibson was crushed between the shuttle and the mine wall.


Nightclub guard shot to death in N.O.; Suspect flees, but hit by bullet down street

A man prevented from entering an eastern New Orleans nightclub by a security guard early Saturday shot the guard to death and then was critically wounded when he exchanged gunfire with a guard from a nearby lounge, police said.

Investigators said Terrell L. Dowl, 29, of New Orleans was trying to enter the Passions nightclub at 3921 Downman Road just after 2 a.m. when he was stopped by the club's guard, Thomas Rogan, 28, of New Orleans.


Deputy slain

Sacramento, CA -- A wide-ranging manhunt for the killer who gunned down a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy narrowed suddenly Friday afternoon after the bodies of a man and woman were found in a white van sitting in shallow water in the Cosumnes River in El Dorado County. About 12 hours earlier, in the dark hours of Friday morning, Deputy Jeffrey V. Mitchell, 38, a nine-year-veteran and father of one, had indicated to dispatchers that he was stopping a white Chevrolet van with a lone driver and no rear license plate before he was found fatally shot in the head near his patrol car in a rural stretch of Sacramento County.


Dermatologist stabbed to death in downtown office

Police on Wednesday were investigating a tenant's account that a young man in a bloody shirt was seen in the downtown high-rise where a dermatologist was stabbed to death in his office.

Detectives said they had reviewed surveillance camera footage from the lobby of the building at 30 N. Michigan Ave., where Dr. David Cornbleet, 64, was killed Tuesday night.


Gravel Truck Overturns, Driver Killed

CONNELLSVILLE, PA -- A gravel truck crashed Friday afternoon, narrowly missing two homes, but the driver was killed in the accident. It happened at the intersection of McCoy Hollow Road and Springfield Pike (Route 711) outside of Connellsville, Fayette County.

Forty-four year-old Tammy Boucher swerved to miss the houses which may have saved the lives of those inside. But it came at a high price --Boucher was killed.



Man killed in farm accident

HILLSBORO, OH – A 51-year-old Highland County man was fatally injured in a Thursday farm machinery accident. Jeff Holbrook was unloading corn from a grain bin into a grain cart using a portable grain auger when his clothing got entangled in the moving part of the auger, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office said today. The victim was trapped in the auger for a short period before being freed by family members. He was transported to Highland District Hospital with critical injuries, and later transferred to Miami Valley Hospital, where he died, said the sheriff’s office.


Worker dies after being hit by semi

Lyon Township, MI -- A 35-year-old employee of U.S. Food Service in Lyon Township was killed at 4:13 a.m. Tuesday after being struck by a semi-truck driven by another employee.

According to Deputy Thomas Poulin, of the Oakland County Sheriff's Crash Reconstruction Unit, Jonathan Baker of Southfield was walking to his truck in the company's parking lot when he was struck from behind by the truck, driven by a 42-year-old Sterling Heights resident. The driver of the truck did not suffer injuries, however, Baker died after being taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.


Officer: Man admitted challenging co-worker to duel before slashing him to death

DETROIT , MI - James Flemons calmly admitted to police that he had slashed his co-worker to death after challenging him to a duel, according to a police officer who testified Thursday. Flemons allegedly told the officer that on Oct. 27, 2004, he handed his co-worker a piece of metal in a "valiant and honorable challenge."

Flemons then went to his car and returned with a 38-inch samurai sword and began chasing his co-worker, Anthony Williams, with it. He killed Williams, 46, as other employees at the Peerless Metal Powders & Abrasive plant looked on.


Surveyor killed at construction site

SHAWNEE, KS -- A Kansas man was killed at a construction site Tuesday when he was crushed by a road grader, police Lt. Roy Gribble said. Eldon Ord Holt, 45, of Leon was a surveyor working at the construction site for a new TSC Tractor Supply Co. at Interstate Parkway, west of Union, Gribble said. Gribble said Holt was surveying the high and low spots on the property and the driver apparently didn't see him while backing up. Holt died at the scene, he said.


Kansas sheriff shot, killed in his office; deputy kills suspected shooter

HOXIE Kan.-- A county sheriff was shot and killed in his office Thursday by a 36-year-old man he was interviewing, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said. The suspect was then fatally shot by a deputy.

Sheridan County Sheriff James L. Johnson was talking to Steven Paul Reitcheck about a possible commitment to a mental health facility when Reitcheck pulled a handgun and fired, KBI deputy director Kyle Smith said. The shooting occurred around 1:20 p.m. CDT.



Dump truck kills roadside worker

Houston, TX -- A construction supervisor was killed Tuesday after the driver of a Houston city dump truck lost control of the vehicle and struck the man, officials said. Adam Boyd Knetsar was killed shortly before 11 a.m. when the Public Works Department truck tried to make a right turn onto the Will Clayton Parkway from southbound Atascocita, Harris County sheriff's deputies said. The dump truck first slammed into a Jeep Cherokee that also was trying to turn right. The impact caused the sport utility vehicle to be thrown on its side, officials said. The city truck continued forward, striking two workers, including Knetsar, who were preparing to build a handicapped ramp at the intersection


Death notice: John A. Smith; Sept. 24, 1951 -- Oct. 20, 2006

DECATUR, IN -- John A. Smith, 55, died Friday in Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Plymouth, of injuries received in an industrial accident in Plymouth


WELLINGTON MOWING ACCIDENT SECOND SUCH DEATH THIS MONTH

WELLINGTON, FL -- A Lake Worth man was killed Monday morning when his riding mower plunged into a lake and pinned him underwater. Eugenio Cannuscio, a 46-year-old landscaper, was cutting grass at the Everglades Polo facility when the mower he was riding got too close to the edge of the lake, said Paul Miller, spokesman with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Cannuscio lost control of the mower and fell into the lake, Miller said.

He had been pinned under the mower for an undetermined amount of time when a co-worker pulled him from the water and performed CPR. Cannuscio was taken to Wellington Regional Hospital and was pronounced dead at 9:48 a.m., Miller added.


Firm's owner killed as truck backs up

Portland, OR - The owner of a Corbett excavation company was run over and killed by a dump truck Tuesday morning, officials said, as he adjusted the truck's brakes at the company's headquarters. Detective Jim Strovink, spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, said Scott R. Cox, 48, owner of Bull Run Enterprises Inc., 8989 Southeast Bull Run Road, was crushed by a dump truck driven by one his employees, 37-year-old Bruce R. Rickert of Corbett. Strovink said that Rickert was getting the truck ready to head to a job site and started by adjusting the brakes on the back axle of the double-axle dump truck. He was on the driver's side of the truck. Unknown to Rickert, Cox was lying on the ground on the opposite side of the truck adjusting the brakes on its center axle. Rickert adjusted the brakes and then got in the cab and backed the truck up, crushing Cox.


Shock likely in death; Worker apparently hit live electric wire

BROOMFIELD, CO -- A construction worker was killed at the Broomfield Events Center on Wednesday after he hit a live electrical wire in the ceiling and fell off a ladder. An autopsy by the Adams County coroner's office will be conducted to determine how the worker died. The worker was not identified Wednesday. Witnesses said the worker fell from a 10-foot ladder after he apparently hit active electrical wiring in the ceiling of a suite.


Worker hit by big lawn mower blade dies

An employee of the Pebble Beach Co. died after a workplace accident Friday, the Monterey County Coroner's Office reported. Cristobal Reynoso, 45, was working on a large lawn mower in the company's maintenance shop at 7:25 a.m. when a 500-pound "blade wing" fell on top of him, causing fatal head injuries, the coroner said.

Authorities said Reynoso failed to lock the mower's blade before it fell. He was taken to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, where he died in the emergency room.
The coroner's office said Tuesday that results from toxicology tests were pending.


N.H. policeman killed, Dartmouth raises flag after week at half-mast

HANOVER, N.H. -- The Dartmouth flag and U.S. flag on the Green were raised to full staff again Wednesday after being lowered last Wednesday to honor fallen Manchester, N.H., police officer Michael Briggs, who died the same day. He was the first policeman to be killed in the state since 1997 and the first Manchester officer to be killed on the job in 30 years.

Briggs, who had been a city police officer for five years, was shot while approaching a suspect in an alley in Manchester. He and a fellow officer were responding to a report about a shot fired in an apartment building.

Death in tower probed

Jerseyville, IL -- Federal authorities are investigating how a man fell to his death while working on an empty water tower near Jerseyville. Leo Schleeper, 55, of Brussels, was killed Tuesday afternoon on the tower five miles south of Jerseyville on U.S. Highway 67, the Jersey County Sheriff's Office said. Schleeper, an employee of the civil engineering firm of Heneghan and Associates of Jerseyville, had been inspecting and cleaning the Jersey County Rural Water Company tower when he fell inside it.


Troopers name girl killed in bulldozer accident

Wasilla, AK -- Authorities have identified the 10-year-old Wasilla girl who died from injuries she suffered when a bulldozer turned on its side and trapped her. The victim in Sunday's accident was Mystie Anderson, Alaska State Troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said.
Troopers said the girl was riding in the cab of a bulldozer being loaded onto a flatbed truck Sunday evening at a home on Dawn Lake Drive in Wasilla.

A man was driving the bulldozer up ramps onto the truck bed. The bulldozer slipped off the ramps and rolled onto its left side. Anderson fell out of the cab and was trapped underneath the machine's roll bar.


Vt. man dies in forklift accident at Lebanon airport

LEBANON N.H. -- Federal authorities are investigating the death of a business owner at Lebanon Aiport. Details are sketchy, but police said Bart Miller, 49, of Norwich, Vt., was killed in his company hangar Monday morning in an accident involving a forklift.
Miller loved to fly and had built a hanger for his fledgling business, Interstate Aircraft Co., designing and building bush planes.


Preston mine victim's name released

NEWBURG W.Va. -- The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has released the name of a miner killed at an Alpha Natural Resources underground mine in Preston County last week. Thomas L. Channell, Jr., 49, died Friday afternoon in a wall collapse at the Whitetail Kittanning Mine in Newburg. The mine is operated by Kingwood Mining Company.

Channel was operating a continuous mining machine when the collapse occurred, according to the preliminary accident report. He and was pinned against a shuttle car by a piece of debris measuring 8 feet long by 5 feet wide and about 4 feet thick. Channel had 25 years of mining experience, the last six at that mine. The accident was the 21st coal mining-related fatality in West Virginia this year. The national total is 42.


Mail-truck driver killed in crash west of Lovelock

LOVELOCK, NV -- A long-distance truck driver was killed five miles west of Lovelock early this morning when his tractor trailer loaded with mail overturned on Interstate 80. The Nevada Highway Patrol reported the driver, heading west, veered into the center dirt median where the truck and trailer overturned. The driver sustained massive injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, the highway patrol said.


Postal Worker Dies in Niu Valley

Niu Valley, Hawaii -- A 50-year-old postal worker was killed today in Niu Valley while making routine deliveries. Police say Caron Lee was traveling down Halemaumau Street when she lost control of her company truck. She swerved off the road, crashed into a telephone pole and was thrown from the vehicle. Then things got even worse. The pole cracked and fell over. Witnesses say it looked like the pole fell on top of Lee, who was lying on the street.


Campbellsport truck driver killed in crash

TOWN OF DAYTON — A semi truck driver from Campbellsport died Friday after his rig collided with a car that crossed the center line about five miles south of Waupaca. The victim has been identified as Scott J. Immel, 34, of Airport Road, Campbellsport.


Truck Driver Killed In Collision With Cow In Elko County

Jackpot, NV -- A truck driver was killed when his big rig collided with a cow on U.S. 93 about four miles south of Jackpot. The Nevada Highway Patrol says 33-year-old John P. Hisaw of Burley, Idaho, was pronounced dead at the scene last night. Troopers say the victim was unable to avoid a collision after the cow wandered onto the roadway. The northbound rig went out of control and overturned. Hisaw was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected. Traffic was limited to one lane for nearly five hours as emergency crews cleared the wreckage.


Truck driver is killed in chain-reaction crash

Chicago, IL -- A Bensenville man was killed early Tuesday in a chain-reaction crash involving three semitrailer trucks on the Northwest Tollway near the U.S. Highway 20 interchange in Hampshire, police said. Police said the trucks were eastbound on the tollway around 1:30 a.m. when one slowed. A second truck also slowed, but a third truck, driven by Roger Walberg, 57, failed to brake and slammed into the rear of the trailer in front of him, said Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Lance Powell. The cab of Walberg's truck was crushed, Powell said.


Construction worker killed in fall

Chicago, IL -- A construction worker fell to his death today at a construction site in the Uptown neighborhood on the city's North Side, police said. The man was working at a construction site at 902 W. Agatite Ave. when he fell around 11:44 a.m., Chicago Police Sgt. Eugene Mullins said.


Worker killed after backhoe accident

State police are investigating a fatal construction accident on Injun Hollow Road that killed a 27-year-old man. Police say that Austin Tetreault was operating a Bobcat backhoe to remove shrubbery on a hillside. Police say he loaded the bucket of the backhoe and attempted to back down the hillside when the backhoe flipped on its side and pinned Tetreault beneath the roll cage. Tetreault was working with by Dondero Landscaping and Lawncare of South Glastonbury.


Deputy killed while diverting traffic at scene of fatal accident

FORT MYERS Fla. -- A Lee County sheriff's deputy was killed in a car crash while diverting traffic at the scene of another fatal accident, authorities said. Deputy Margena Nunez, 44, died about 12:30 a.m. Sunday when a pickup truck smashed into her patrol car, which was parked with emergency lights flashing in one lane of a highway, the Florida Highway Patrol said.


Man dies in forklift accident

TULSA Okla. -- A man died Monday morning when he was crushed between a forklift and a tractor-trailer rig, police said. The accident occurred at Ferguson Plumbing Supplies about 8 a.m. The identity of the man was not immediately released and police were investigating the incident.



INJURED POLICE OFFICER DIES IN HOSPITAL

NEW HAVEN -- The police officer who was struck at a construction site Tuesday by an SUV driven by a federal judge died Saturday at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Dan Picagli sustained head injuries when he was struck while directing traffic at a construction site near Wooster Square Park in New Haven. The SUV that hit him was driven by John M. Walker Jr., a federal judge who is a cousin of former President George H.W. Bush. Walker, 65, was serving as a senior judge after he stepped down last month as chief judge of the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. He was traveling home to Madison when the accident occurred.


Worker killed in Durham; Paving sprayer truck backs over man

DURHAM, NC -- A worker helping pave a Durham street was killed Friday afternoon when a sprayer truck backed over him. The worker, whose name was not released Friday afternoon pending notification of his family, worked for Barnhill Construction, which has a contract with the city for road repaving. About 1:45 p.m., the worker was standing behind the sprayer truck on Red Oak Avenue, off Fayetteville Street near N.C. Central University. The driver of the truck, whose name also was not released, backed up as an alarm beeped. The victim was looking in the other direction and apparently did not hear the alarm. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Semi driver killed following 9-car pileup

TUCSON Ariz -- One man was killed and five were injured in a nine-car pileup and related two-vehicle collision on Interstate 10 about 20 miles east of Tucson.Fifty-eight-year-old Dennis K. Deming of Hayes, Va. died Friday after the semi he was driving crashed into another semi that had slowed down for the pileup, according to a Department of Public Safety press release.


DETAILS OF SLAIN CLERK'S LIFE EMERGE;

CHATSWORTH, CA -- His existence was invisible to nearly everyone -- until his brutal killing. Hiran Ediriweera was beaten to death with a baseball bat Oct. 13, his battered body found on the cold tile floor of the mini-mart where he worked the overnight shift. With no local family to grieve, a community of strangers has come forward to mourn the death of the reclusive man from Sri Lanka, who lived alone for years in a sparse room he rented on a tree-lined Van Nuys street.