Sunday, February 13, 2005

Weekly Toll

UAL Employee Killed In DIA Accident-High-Pressure Cylinder Strikes Mechanic

DENVER -- A United Airlines mechanic was killed instantly Sunday afternoon when a large high-pressure cylinder hit him while he was working on it at Denver International Airport. Denver police said Edward Peters was working in a hanger at the time of the accident. The cylinder works as a fire extinguisher on an aircraft, and is under high pressure. The pressure in the canister was apparently too high and Peters was trying to release some of the pressure, according to police. A United Airlines spokesman would not confirm what cylinder was used for. The container shot off at a high rate of speed, striking and killing Peters on impact. The accident was reported at about 1:30 p.m. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the accident. Peters was a resident of Jefferson County.


Autopsy Set For Worker Found Dead In Parking Lot

Lancaster, PA- An autopsy is set for Monday for the Hanover Foods worker found in a parking lot Friday morning. Police in southwestern York County said the death of the worker is suspicious. The man was found in a truck parking lot near the intersection of Route 116 and Deagan Drive in Heidelberg Township. Police said he's a black man in his 40s and appears to be from out of state.


Stable owner found dead; employee taken into custody

HOUSTON, TX — A teenager is in custody, accused of killing the owner of a northwest Harris County horse stable Sunday morning. Investigators say that teenager works at the stable and that he has confessed to the crime.


Manager: Fatal trampling an accident

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The manager of a circus where an elephant trampled its trainer to death while being loaded into a truck said he believed the man's death was an accident. "We don't believe from the behavior of the animals it was a premeditated, aggressive killing," Larry Solheim, general manager of the Tarzan Zerbini Circus, said today. The trainer, Pierre Spenle, 40, of Texas, died Monday after he was taken to a Fort Wayne hospital with critical chest injuries.


Longtime dock worker killed at LA port - second death in less than a week

LOS ANGELES - A longtime dock worker died and another was seriously injured in separate incidents at the Port of Los Angeles - the second fatality in less than a week. Matt Petrasich, 63, of Rancho Palos Verdes, was found dead Monday morning atop a cargo container on the Panamanian-flagged Ever Deluxe ship. His body was spotted by a crane operator, said Bill Orton of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.


Accounting Employee Dies in Santa Ana Fire

Los Angeles, CA- Big Bear Lake man is found after the blaze damages a building occupied by the firm. A bookkeeper was killed when fire swept through a Santa Ana accounting firm early Tuesday. The body of Joel Charles Jones, 65, of Big Bear Lake was discovered by firefighters in the rear of the building occupied by E.K. Williams Bookkeeping and Tax Service in the 1000 block of West 17th St., authorities said. Asphyxiation was the apparent cause of death, an Orange County coroner's spokesman said.


Bypass worker dies in construction accident

Jackson, CA- A man working on the Highway 49 bypass died Thursday morning after he fell 50 feet from a portion of a bridge being constructed over Amador Creek between Drytown and Amador City. Investigations by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the safety officer of the company contracted to build the bridge, are pending on the death of Robert Dale Foulks, 52, of Placerville.


Construction worker found dead on roof

VAIL - A 49-year-old construction worker was found dead Monday on the roof of the Vail Mountain Lodge, police said. Salvador Alvarez, who was working on the roof of the hotel, appeared to have died of a medical problem, Vail police Sgt. Mike Knox said.


Construction worker crushed to death

Valparaiso, IN- More than two tons of granite fell on a worker at a construction site in Valparaiso, killing him. Twenty-four-year-old Damon Daniels of Michigan City was pronounced dead at the site Tuesday afternoon by emergency workers. Police say the likely cause of death was suffocation from the weight of the five, 1,0000-pound granite slabs.


A truck horn wailed all day from inside collapsed building

Boston- A horn wailed all day from inside the collapsed building at the Fore River shipyard last Wednesday. The roof of the collapsed building had crushed a truck. A worker was inside. His body was leaning on the horn. It was impossible for emergency workers to get near him. The roof on one side of the building collapsed, trapping 18 men inside. Two of them were killed, and four were badly injured.


Man killed in machine after week at work

Fargo,ND- Federal safety officials are investigating a West Fargo business after one of its workers died in his machine. Geoffrey C. Schaaf, 30, of Fargo became entangled in a large lathe Tuesday afternoon at Federal Machine, 1007 2nd Ave. W., West Fargo Detective Greg Warren said.


Man, 26, dies at construction site- Korean student visiting U.S. hit by rebar while helping relative

OAKLAND, CA — A man was killed Monday when some of the rebar he was helping unload at an East Oakland construction site hit him in the face before falling on him, authorities said. Jae C. Lee, 26, apparently did not work for the construction company doing the work in the 1700 block of International Boulevard but was helping a relative who did, authorities said.


Slain station employee remembered as a peaceful gentleman

BRAINTREE -- He was an excellent cook, a gentleman in an age when manners are rare, and a smiling presence brighter than the neon yellow of the Shell station in Braintree Square where he worked. He was Loay Abdel Maksoud, 31, a native of Egypt, known to folks here as Louie. He was slain while covering a shift for a co-worker at a Mutual Gas station in Brockton Tuesday night, a brutal attack that has left friends and fellow employees hurt and angry.


Construction Worker Dies on Job

Belvidere, Illinois- A local construction worker dies while working on a project in Belvidere Thursday. Gary Helfvogt, 25, of Caledonia, was working at 1111 McKinley Ave. when he fell about 35 feet from a catwalk to the ground. Helfvogt was taken to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center with severe head injuries and pronounced dead at 2:45 p.m.


Highway Worker Killed in Crash

Tippecanoe County - An Indiana highway worker is dead following an accident that shut down part of I-65 near Lafayette in Tippecanoe County Thursday morning. Roger Zell, 35, of Lafayette had gotten out of a truck to clean up trash on the Wabash River Bridge when he was struck. Investigators say a van rear-ended a car that was trying to avoid the state truck. The car spun out of control and pinned Zell against the bridge. He died at a Lafayette hospital.


Man killed in Seekonk accident is identified

SEEKONK, RI -- A 75-year-old man who died after being struck in the head with a metal beam at a construction site on Tuesday has been identified by police as John M. Pimental. According to police, a crane operator was clearing scrap metal from the property when a beam either fell or struck Pimental, causing massive head injuries. He was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.


Man Talks With Police About Taxi Driver's Murder-Cabbie Also Victim Of Previous Assault

CHICAGO -- Police have new information in the death of a cab driver who was murderd when a passenger apparently drove over the man with his own taxi, NBC5's Rob Elgas reported. A man went to Area Three Police Headquarters with his attorney Friday evening to discuss the case, sources said. The man has not been charged, but he is cooperating with police, sources told NBC5. Police Chief Vito Scotti said Pimental's last known address was 82 Barberry Drive in Seekonk. The cabbie was identified as Haroon Paryani, 61, according to a Cook County Medical Examiner's Office spokesman. Paryani died of multiple injuries after being struck by the taxi. His death was ruled a homicide, a medical examiner's office spokeswoman said.


U.S. Steel worker is killed when train crushes him against wall

A 46-year-old U.S. Steel employee was killed Thursday at the company's Granite City plant when a slow-moving cargo train crushed him against the wall of a loading dock. David M. Prengel, of the 3000 block of Erin Drive in Granite City, was pronounced dead by an investigator for the Madison County coroner's office at 11 p.m.


County employee killed in I-25 pickup crash

Chris Vigil, 30, of Santa Fe was killed Friday afternoon when the Santa Fe County-owned pickup he was driving was struck head-on by another pickup registered to San Felipe Pueblo.


Worker Killed In Allegheny Ludlum Accident

BRACKENRIDGE, Pa. -- A steel plant worker was killed in an early morning accident at the Allegheny Ludlum plant in Brackenridge. The Allegheny County Coroner's Office identified the man as John Novick, 50, of Lower Burrell. Authorities said Novick somehow became pinned between two rail cars at the plant. The accident occurred just before 4 a.m. Saturday. Novick was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. The coroner's office ruled Novick's death an accident


Orlando Officer Dies In Crash

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando Police Officer Dante M. Perales, 29, died Saturday in a traffic accident while on his way home from work. The accident occurred on Interstate 4 at Kirkman Road. Police said it appeared to have been a single-car crash. Police said Perales' vehicle slid sideways into the guardrail, impacting the driver's side. He was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.


Details Emerge in Shocking Midtown Shootings

New York, NY- 39-year-old Inessa Ivanov was shot and killed by her ex-husband. Here at the Chanel building where the salon is located, coworkers and customers were stunned today, with the salon closing early. Veronica Kehoe, hair salon customer: "People upstairs are just finding out about it. It's unbelievable."


Police seeking two gunmen in killing of barber at shop

Miami, FL- A hardworking, church-going barber was the victim of a puzzling killing at a Little Haiti barbershop. Police are looking for the killers. Franklin Fleurjuste worked hard as a barber to provide for his family in South Florida and in Haiti. And when he wasn't grooming beards or styling hair, the 49-year-old Baptist could be found at church, playing clarinet. ''All the victims inside were cooperating, but suddenly they stopped their actions,'' said Miami police spokesman Delrish Moss. ``As they were leaving, they shot the person closest to the door. He wasn't even looking at them.''


Sanitation worker killed in N.J. crash

Long Island, NY- A veteran city sanitation worker was killed Monday night when his garbage truck rear-ended a tractor-trailer carrying steel beams on the New Jersey Turnpike, officials said Tuesday. Rodney Page, 37, of Flushing, had more than 90 hours of overtime since the recent major snowstorm, sources said, but it was unclear whether that was a factor in his death.


Worker dies in fall off GWB

A construction worker fell 75 feet to his death after losing his footing on the George Washington Bridge last night, officials said. The victim was working on scaffolding inside a tower on the bridge's Manhattan side when he tumbled. He landed on a concrete platform far below the lower roadway about 8:30 p.m. The unidentified worker went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.


Shipyard crew in mourning-Investigation into Whidbey death could take months

FREELAND - Federal and state investigators are working with Nichols Bros. Boat Builders to pinpoint the cause of a fatal accident at the company's Whidbey Island shipyard. Employee William L. Dayton, 24, of Coupeville was killed Monday and two others were injured as they apparently attempted to lift a Fire Scout drone, an unmanned aerial vehicle that looks like a small helicopter.


French Camp chief shot, killed after chase; teen charged with capital murder

Kosciusko,MS- French Camp Mayor Glen Barlow was joking around with Police Chief Anthony Lucas at a basketball game Friday night. A couple of hours later, Lucas was shot to death while assisting the Ackerman Police Department on a pursuit.


Suspect caught in killing of Lake County deputy near Ocala forest

PAISLEY, Fla. - A felon accused of killing a sheriff's deputy and wounding two others was captured Wednesday after a daylong manhunt using helicopters, armored vehicles and airboats in the swamps and hills of the Ocala National Forest, officers said. Wheeler allegedly ambushed three Lake County deputies outside his home at about 9 a.m. as they responded to a domestic battery call. Deputy Wayne Koester died after being transferred to a hospital, sheriff's Capt. Nick Pallitto said. Deputies Tom McKane and Bill Crotty were treated for non-life threatening injuries a hospital in nearby Eustis.


Man shot to death in Riviera Beach

FL- A man gunned down outside his office in Riviera Beach Wednesday night has been identified as 55-year-old Sammie Osborn of West Palm Beach, police said. Osborn, an employee at the Two Wheels transportation company, stepped out about 9:30 p.m. to take paperwork and other office materials to a vehicle outside the business, which is located at 6911 Garden Road. About 20 minutes later, another employee found him shot dead outside and called Riviera Beach police, said Rose Anne Brown, a police department spokeswoman.


Naturita deaths likely a murder-suicide

NATURITA, CO — An eyewitness confirmed the Tuesday afternoon suicide of a longtime Naturita resident, a 35-year-old male suspected by homicide investigators of fatally shooting a heavy-equipment operator before taking his own life, Montrose County Undersheriff Dick Deines said.


Work accident kills ex-Sparta resident

Newton, NJ- A former Sparta resident died Monday night after he fell from a platform while working on a construction project on the George Washington Bridge, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokeswoman Tiffany Townsend said Wednesday. Troy TenEyck, 44, fell 50 feet from a platform on the New York side of the bridge, where landed on a cement floor. He died at the scene around 8:30 p.m., Townsend said.


Columbia Officer Dies From Wounds Suffered In Shooting

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A month after she was shot during a traffic stop by a gunman who later took his own life, a three-year veteran of the Columbia Police Department died Thursday of injuries that left her in a drug-induced coma. Officer Molly Thomas Bowden, 26, had been hospitalized since the Jan. 10 shooting, when she was hit three times in the neck and shoulder. She had been in a drug-induced coma to fight an infection.


Plant worker crushed

TRAVERSE CITY -- A 52-year-old Acme man died Thursday in an industrial accident at Eagle Picher automotive parts plant when a machine suddenly activated and crushed him, police say. Authorities were investigating how the machine began operating prior to the man's death at 1 p.m. The plant is on Cass Hartman Court in an industrial complex, Grand Traverse County sheriff's officials said.


Two ManTech employees on crashed Afghan plane

Washington,DC- Defense contractor ManTech International says two of its employees were aboard the Afghanistan Kam Air jet that crashed Feb. 3. The ManTech employees onboard the flight were Ryan Hogan, 24, from St. Joseph, Mo., a ManTech employee since February 2004, and Erik Wellumson, 42, of Chesapeake, Va., a ManTech employee since December.


Sheriff's employee hit, killed by van

Seattle, WA- Meanwhile, 34-year-old is charged with hit-and-run on Capitol Hill. The crowds bustling in and out of the King County Courthouse were absent for a time yesterday morning, kept away by police investigating an accident that killed a King County sheriff's employee. "It's tough," Sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart said. "She was very well liked, just a real nice person." The death of Amelia Gonzales, 46, of Arlington comes just two days after a suspected drunken driver ran down musician Bonni Suval on Capitol Hill, leaving her with several broken bones and a skull fracture.


Employee's death from meningitis spurs precautions at Snowmass hotel

Snowmass Village, CO - Workers at the Silvertree Hotel were being offered vaccinations and antibiotic treatments after a server there died last week of meningococcal meningitis. Dustin Foote, 22, showed signs of the infectious brain disease the week before and died Tuesday while being taken to a hospital, Pitkin County Coroner Steve Ayers said. It was not immediately clear how Foote caught the disease.


Man crushed by forklift, dies in accident on the job

Middletown, NY- A 26-year-old employee at American Candle Co. on Old Kings Highway died after a forklift fell on him while he was working Thursday night. Menachem N. Brandwein of Monsey had been operating the forklift when it became stuck in a muddy patch of ground near a loading dock, according to police. Brandwein had stepped out of the forklift and was working to dislodge it when it tipped, police said. Brandwein was pronounced dead at the scene.


Pilot of Tupelo hospital helicopter dead in crash; je/fax/rh

RIPLEY, Miss.-- The body of a pilot was recovered Thursday at the wreckage of his medical helicopter in a wooded area of south Tippah County, authorities say.

The pilot has not been identified pending notification of relatives. The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating. The air medical services helicopter was operated for North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. It normally has a pilot and two crew members. NMMC president/CEO John Heer said Thursday in a statement that the air ambulance had been dispatched to an one-vehicle accident on a Tippah County about 8:22 p.m. Wednesday.


Slaying of North Las Vegas store owner saddens merchants

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Taher Jakami fled Afghanistan as a child and lived in Southern California before opening a smoke shop here about six months ago.

On Sunday, the 31-year-old father, whose wife is pregnant with their third child, was shot and killed after confronting gunman who police said had just robbed his store.

"It's senseless. Just senseless," Ethel Burks, a clerk at a neighboring flower shop, said Monday. "He had made friends from one end of this shopping center to the next. He had no enemies in here. Everybody knew T.J."


Police make timeline of slayings; Customer sought for questioning

Milford, DE -- When he heard about the brutal slaying of two clothing store employees, Milford High School track coach and English teacher Czar Bloom said he was stunned to learn one of the victims was a former student and track star.
"You see those types of stories and you don't think of the people involved," Bloom said. "The next day I found out it was Jessica, and it made it all the worse."

Four days after the slayings, investigators are continuing their search for the person or persons who fatally shot Jessica M. Watson, 22, and Matthew J. Macerato, 18, during a robbery at the Milltown area business. Investigators said a substantial amount of cash also was taken.


Trucker killed in fiery crash on I-95; Semi, flatbed loaded with shingles collide, blocking interstate

BRUNSWICK, SC -- A South Carolina truck driver died in a fiery pre-dawn crash Thursday on Interstate 95 near the Glynn-Camden County line.

Donald Seigler, 56, of Aiken was killed when the 18-wheel container truck loaded with tomatoes collided with the rear of a flatbed truck hauling roofing shingles and burst into flames, according to Georgia State Patrol troopers.
Seigler died instantly, apparently from blunt force trauma to the head and chest, Glynn County Coroner Jimmy Durden said.


Taxi driver, passenger killed in crash

A drunken driver crashed his car into a taxi early Saturday, killing the driver and his passenger in the city's Lakeview neighborhood, Chicago police said.

The collision occurred in the 2900 block of North Ashland Avenue about 5:45 a.m. when Igors Kazakovs, 21, of the 6300 block of South Lockwood Avenue, Chicago, driving an Audi sedan, ran a red light and struck the side of the taxi, police spokeswoman JoAnn Taylor said.

Passenger Brian Schultz, 28, of an unknown address, and cabdriver Frank Frempong, 61, of the 8100 block of South Dobson Avenue, Chicago, were killed.


Pottawattamie County worker found dead in culvert

MACEDONIA, Iowa -- A Pottawattamie County employee (Edward Batten)was found dead at the bottom of a culvert after a passing motorist discovered a road grader in the middle of the road with nobody around it.

Sheriff Jeff Danker said the identity of the 48-year-old man was not immediately released pending notification of relatives.

The man's body was found face down at the bottom of a 10-foot deep culvert on Thursday, Danker said.


Cow on Pike causes fatal collision

CHARLTON, MA -- A truck driver was killed last night when a westbound tractor-trailer swerved to avoid a cow on a travel lane of the Massachusetts Turnpike and crashed through the median guardrail, hitting an eastbound tractor trailer head on.

The accident occurred at 8:45 p.m. east of the Sturbridge exit on the turnpike in Charlton.

All eastbound lanes and one of the three westbound lanes of the turnpike were closed because of the accident, according to state Trooper Danielle Pires. The eastbound lanes were expected to be closed for several hours, perhaps until 2 a.m.



2 boys plead not guilty in death of security guard in Rockaways

New York -- Two 13-year-old boys accused of starting a Christmas Day fire that led to the death of a security guard in a Rockaways apartment building pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony murder charges, the city's law department said.

The boys, whose names have been withheld because they are minors, entered their pleas before Judge Edwina Richardson-Thomas in Queens Family Court, city lawyer Lori Iskowitz said in a statement released by her department.

The boys set fire to holiday decorations and a cart of garbage on the fifth floor of the building, police said. The guard, Raymond James, 32, died after he apparently got into the elevator with the burning cart in an attempt to get rid of it.