Man dies in accident at food waste recycling plant in Rosemount
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. - A St. Paul man died Sunday in an accident at a plant that recycles food waste into animal feed, Rosemount authorities said.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the Endres Processing LLC plant just after 10 a.m. after the man became trapped in a large pile of feed.
"What it is, is bakery products ground up into feed for pigs and that kind of thing," said Capt. Jim Voelker, of the Rosemount Fire Department.
The man was not completely buried when rescuers first arrived, and they were able to give him oxygen, Fire Chief Scott Aker said. But about 10:40 a.m., the pile of feed began to collapse, burying him. Rescuers used bulldozers and vacuum trucks to search for him, and they found his body about three hours later.
KC police identify worker killed in overpass collapse
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City police have identified the man killed when an overpass collapsed Saturday in the Grandview Triangle as Jason Dougan, 32, of Richmond, Mo. Dougan worked for APAC-Kansas Inc., the company that had been doing demolition work on the old overpass since April, company spokeswoman Deborah Galloway said Monday. Authorities said another worker involved in the accident was hospitalized, but that man said Monday that he walked away unscathed. “I didn’t get a scratch on me — no blood whatsoever,” Tony Jaracuaro said in a brief telephone interview. Jaracuaro declined to elaborate on his experience at the overpass, which used to carry Interstate 470 traffic to southbound U.S. 71. Officials from the company and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the cause of the accident.
Canton foundry worker dies in fall into molten steel pit
CANTON, OH - A worker at United Foundries on Grace Avenue Northeast died today when he fell 31 feet into a pit of molten steel, fire officials said. The molten steel enveloped his body, and he was killed instantly.
NewsChannel5 reported that the liquid steel is about 2,600 degrees, so rescue workers were unable to immediately retrieve the victim's body. They will return in a few days to retrieve the remains.
Man dies after losing arm in workplace accident
CORPUS CHRISTI - 57-year-old Jesus Vallejo died Thursday night, after his arm was severed in a mishap at the C.C. Coating and Machine Company on Omaha.
The accident happened just after 8 p.m. Authorities said Vallejo's arm was severed at the elbow, after it got caught in a piece of equipment. He also suffered a severe head injury when he was pulled into the machinery. He died while being transported to the hospital.
Vallejo's wife and children said he'd been injured on the job several times this year. They asked him over and over to quit, but he wouldn't do it.
Constable Dale Geddie Killed in the Line of Duty, Remembered by Friends
Tyler,TX - Killed in the Line of Duty, Constable Dale Geddie was taken too soon from family, friends and fellow law officers. He's been serving mith County for some 20- years now. First it was as a Sheriff's Deputy and then as a Constable. Geddie's collegues say he knew how dangerous his job could be, but they were not prepared for what happened Wednesday. He leaves behind a wife, Lisa and two sons. One of whom is on a mission trip right now. Amidst the heartache, Constable Geddie's friends are remembering him as an honest and outstanding man.
Employee found dead in mall restaurant
LAKE KATRINE, N.Y. - Employees opening a restaurant in a shopping mall found the body of a co-worker Sunday morning. Ulster Police Chief Paul Watzka said Sharon Inger, 42, was found dead in the kitchen of the Ground Round in the Hudson Valley Mall. He declined to say how she died. "There's a lot of speculation going around about how she was killed or what was the means, but I'm not releasing that until the autopsy," Watzka told The Poughkeepsie Journal. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday afternoon.
Dock worker struck and killed by truck at Bulk Mail Center
Forest Park, IL - A 43-year-old dock worker at the U.S. Postal Service Bulk Mail Center on Roosevelt Road was killed last Thursday after apparently being run over by a semi-trailer truck. Forest Park Police believe that the death was accidental, though the matter is still under investigation according to Deputy Chief Thomas Aftanas. Antoine Thomas of Burnham was discovered in the rear of the facility by a co-worker at just after 10 p.m. on Thursday, and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, according to police. Aftanas said that police were able to track down the driver of the truck that allegedly struck Thomas. The driver was on his way out of state but returned to the scene. Aftanas said the driver consented to tests to determine whether he was intoxicated, and has not been charged with a crime at this point.
Paper mill worker dies on the job
Blandin, MN - A pressure groundwood operator at Blandin Paper Mill was found unresponsive Tuesday morning and later pronounced dead and officials are still looking for answers about exactly what happened. According to information from Blandin Paper Company officials, Robert Wilson, 54, was found unresponsive in the wood and fiber department by another employee on Tuesday morning between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. Emergency workers from the paper mill as well as Meds-1 ambulance workers were called to the scene. Wilson was taken to Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Worker dies in industrial leak near Pensacola
Alantown, FL - Investigators are working to determine the cause of a toxic gas leak at an industrial plant near Pensacola that killed one worker. The victim is identified as Tommy Lunceford Junior. Authorities say he died after inhaling toxic hydrogen sulfide gas at the Blackjack Creek Treating Facility in Allentown, about 20 miles northeast of Pensacola. The toxic chemical is created in the process of making crude oil. Joseph Smith was injured, but has been treated and released from the hospital. Fire officials say Monday's leak did not affect anything outside the plant or its boundaries. The plant was closed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 2002 while extensive repairs were made to reduce sulfur dioxide and possible hydrogen sulfide emissions. The company paid $125,000 in civil penalties and completed a pollution prevention project instead of the balance of the penalties, according to a consent order.
Man dies after being pinned
GREEN RIVER, WY -- A Colorado man died in a freak accident when he got caught between two pieces of equipment while his truck burned nearby. Steve Robinson, 35, of Craig, Colo., died of dehydration Thursday just off Red Desert Road, about 5 miles from Interstate 80, Sweetwater County Coroner Dale Majhanovich said Sheriff David O. Gray said it appeared Robinson was standing atop two frac tanks -- movable tanks for storing water, oil or other liquids -- when he somehow got caught between them. Meanwhile, equipment on his truck caught fire, igniting the truck itself. Robinson was too close to the fire, and was unable to get away. Robinson worked for High Desert Services, Gray said. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was investigating the accident.
Worker struck, killed on highway
Spartanburg, SC - A Spartanburg man directing highway traffic through a construction site became the state’s latest work-zone fatality Wednesday when he was struck by an oncoming car in the Midlands. The impact killed David Trent Blake, 27, of 440 River Drive, said Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth. Blake was helping install guardrails near a swampy area with a Spartanburg-based Bagwell Fence Co. crew. No charges had been filed Thursday against the driver, Idelle Howell, 64, of Elloree. Lance Cpl. Scot Edgeworth with the S.C. Highway Patrol said an initial review indicated speed was not a factor.
Road worker killed on northbound Hwy. 101 late Thursday
San Jose, CA - A road worker was killed late Thursday on northbound Highway 101, north of Highway 87, when he was pinned between two pieces of construction equipment, the California Highway Patrol reported. Salvador Contreras of San Jose, who was working for a Caltrans subcontractor, died about 10 p.m. when he was pinned between the steamroller he had been driving and a gravel truck that backed into him, said William Guillen, construction safety manager for Graniterock, the Watsonville-based subcontractor. Sgt. John Warren of the Highway Patrol said Contreras was in his late 30s. He was married and his wife had just had a child, Guillen said.
Teen charged in restaurant slaying, Suspect, 15, to be tried as adult in shooting at Athens St. eatery
Gainesville, FL - A 15-year-old Gainesville boy charged with the shooting death of an Athens Street restaurant employee late Thursday appeared at his first court appearance Friday. Chaz Gregory Stringer wore a jail-issued orange jumpsuit with his hands and feet shackled during the brief 10-minute preceding Friday. He will be tried as an adult in the shooting death of Victor Manuel Gallegos de La Rosa, 29, of Gainesville. Stringer sat alone at a table inside the courtroom, looking down on occasion and at one point putting his head on the table. He later appeared to shake his head. Magistrate Court Judge Margaret Gregory read the charges against the teenager and asked if he understood them. In a soft voice, he replied, "yes ma'am." Stringer faces one count each of murder and felony murder, two counts of attempted armed robbery and two of aggravated assault. Authorities say the teenager shot Gallegos de La Rosa during an attempted robbery at Garcia's Restaurant on Athens Street.
Another S. Texas gas worker is killed
TX - As Zapata County leads the state in natural gas production, the boom in business hasn't come without human tragedy. Federal safety officials are investigating the second death in a year caused by sudden bursts of gas pressure to workers in the rural county, where tall drilling rigs seem visible in every direction. Kevin D. Ordiway Jr., 22, of La Grange, a floor hand at a remote natural gas rig 15 miles north of Zapata, died Thursday when he loosened a bolt that was believed to be relieved of pressure and wasn't.
Driver killed when truck flatbed hits bridge
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Part of the empty flatbed on a tractor-trailer hit the Interstate 490 bridge in Rochester this morning as the truck tried to pass under it. Police say a portion of the flatbed lifted and latched onto a girder underneath the bridge as the truck went along Mount Read Boulevard at about 6:45. As a result, the cab of the Suburban Disposal truck lifted and collided with girders supporting the bridge and dropped back to the ground. Captain Thomas D'Angelo tells the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that the driver was found unconscious. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity was not immediately disclosed.
Injured worker killed trying to drive to hospital
Charleston, SC - A man who was injured at a construction site has died after he crashed his truck while trying to drive himself to the hospital. Dorchester County Chief Deputy Coroner Perida Moultrie said Friday that 27-year-old Octavio Godinez of Fort Wayne, Indiana, died Monday after his truck left the road and hit a tree. An autopsy showed Godinez died from a ruptured heart and loss of blood from a wrist wound. Moultrie says Godinez may have been unconscious when his truck left the road. His death is being investigated by the state's Occupational Safety and Health office.
Worker dies two weeks after High Point factory blast
TRINITY, N.C. - A maintenance worker who was badly burned in an explosion at a High Point factory has died of his injuries, two weeks after the blast. Ricky Dale Hardin had been unconscious and in critical condition since shortly after he was injured May 23. He died Wednesday at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, his family said.
Hardin and two other men were hurt by the explosion and fire that authorities said was ignited by a welding torch at the Future Foam Inc. factory near downtown High Point. Hardin was conscious immediately after the accident, his wife, Nancy, said. "He walked out of that plant and got somebody to call me - just to tell me that he loved me," she said. " Hardin, 49, had spent seven years working in maintenance for Future Foam, which manufactures bulk foam for use in carpet cushion, furniture, bedding and other uses.
Worker Dies in Accident in Northwest Fresno
Fresno, CA - A steel worker is dead after an accident at a Northwest Fresno business Friday. The man was working about 15 feet down a hole when a piece of steel fell in and hit him. He was trapped for about 15 minutes, until firefighters were able to get him out. The fire department says the man had a heart attack just as he was rescued.
Security guard killed as golf cart plunges into lake
Chicago, IL - Just before sunrise Sunday, two security guards patrolling Burnham Harbor in a golf cart hit a concrete wall and tumbled into Lake Michigan. About 4:30 a.m., the driver of the cart was able to free himself and swim to safety, but his passenger, 33-year-old Rigoberto Sanchez, was not, a police spokeswoman said. Sanchez died about an hour later at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. An autopsy performed Monday found that Sanchez drowned and the death was ruled accidental. Police also considered the drowning accidental, according to police News Affairs Officer Kelly Liakopoulos.
State Police officer dies in US 84 rollover
ESPANOLA, N.M. -- A New Mexico State Police officer responding to a call died Sunday night when he struck a cow and rolled his patrol car. Officer James Archuleta was ejected from the car and then struck by two vehicles. The accident occurred near mile marker 201 northwest of Española, according to State Police Lt. Jimmy Glascock. Archuleta was responding to a call and was driving southbound when the hit the cow. U.S. 84 is closed in both directions while the accident investigation proceeds. It may not reopen until noon, Glascock said. Traffic is being routed around the accident on State Roads 554 and 111 and U.S. 285 which connects to U.S. 84 between the closure and Española.
Employee Drowns In Seffner Motel Pool
Tampa, FL - A motel maintenance worker died Sunday afternoon in an apparent drowning in the motel's pool, the Hillsborough sheriff's office said. Witnesses said Jeffrey Allen Jones, 44, stopped swimming in the pool of the Star Motel, 10809 U.S. 92. Jones, who lived in a trailer at the motel, was pulled from the pool and pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office said it appeared Jones drowned, but a medical examiner will determine the cause of death. No foul play is suspected.
Cleaner is shot to death in Raleigh restaurant; police seek truck
RALEIGH, NC - A contract worker was shot to death early Saturday while cleaning the Circus Family Restaurant north of downtown Raleigh, police said. LeRoy Francis Jernigan, 40, of Clayton was a towering, boisterous man who let homeless people sleep in his attic and "always had a handout for everybody," said Will Roland, Jernigan's business partner. A Circus Restaurant employee found Jernigan's body inside the eatery just before 9 a.m., according to Raleigh police. He had been shot in the head, and his pickup was missing. Police on Saturday searched for clues in the fast-food restaurant at the intersection of Wake Forest Road and Brookside Drive. At lunchtime, the parking lot was empty and surrounded by yellow crime scene tape. Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue did not offer any explanation for Jernigan's shooting.
Boy, 15, charged in fatal shooting of city taxi driver
MD - Robbery victim is first cabbie killed on job this year in Baltimore, police say
A 15-year-old boy was charged Thursday with fatally shooting a taxi driver in the head during what city police said was a daylight robbery in a Northeast Baltimore neighborhood. Damon Holmes of the 6600 block of Harford Road was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, armed robbery and handgun violations in connection with the Wednesday attack. He is scheduled to have a bail hearing in District Court Friday. The victim, identified in court papers as Oumar Bah, 28, worked at Jimmy's Cab, where a co-owner of the Towson-based company described him as intensely private. "He was an extremely well-loved person," said Josie Kennedy. Police said Bah's only family may be in Africa, and they had not yet been able to reach anyone. Police said Bah is the first taxi driver killed on the job this year in the city.
Truck Driver Killed in I-95 Crash
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL -- The last thing fellow truck driver Tim radioed to his friend, who was in another semi, was to watch out for slow traffic ahead on I-95. Tim's friend put on his blinker and maneuvered around some traffic. However, instead of staying on the interstate, he barreled right off the road through a fence, and into the woods.
His cargo of potatoes spilled and trees fell. The cab of the semi caught fire and so did a small part of the woods. Florida Highway Patrol Corporal robert Asbill said, "When we got the call, they said he was still entrapped in the vehicle and that the flames were too intense and too hot for anyone to remove him."
The semi driver, whose name has not been released, died on the scene.
No foul play at fatal industrial accident
Hilo, HI - Police do not suspect foul play in a fatal public accident at a construction site last month. South Hilo patrol officers responded to the accident at Komohana and Nowelo Streets in Hilo around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, 2006. Witnesses reported that Travis Patterson, 27, of Pahoa was fatally injured when he was pinned between a building "I-beam" and the man lift basket he was operating. He was transported to Hilo Medical Center and pronounced dead. Police have classified the case as an industrial accident.
Worker dies in fall off warehouse roof
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - A demolition crew supervisor died after he fell off the roof of a warehouse near the site of the new Indianapolis Colts stadium. Fifty-eight-year-old Chuck Parker of Brownsburg was working on the roof yesterday when he fell about 25 feet, the Marion County coroners office says. An attorney for the company Parker worked for says Parker was wearing a safety harness. He was pronounced dead at Wishard Memorial Hospital. Parker worked for Environmental Assurance Company, which specializes in environmental demolition and asbestos removal. The warehouse is about a block west of the construction site of the new Indianapolis Colts stadium.
Worker dies in fall from cell tower
VICKSBURG, MS — An Indiana man has died from injuries suffered in a fall from a cell phone tower that he was painting, according to Warren County Coroner John Thomason. Thomason said Jack Pellow, 48, of Dale, Ind., fell about 50 feet Wednesday. He was pronounced dead at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Thomason said an autopsy will be performed. The tower rises about 90 feet above a small building that once housed a radio station. Pellow had subcontracted to paint the tower by National Tank and Tower of Evansville, Ind., company president Sam Dorris said. Pellow's co-worker, Dennis Dean, was on the ground, saw Pellow fall and called 911.
Construction worker dies in bulldozer accident
Bartow, Florida — A construction worker died Friday afternoon when the bulldozer he was operating sank under water at the Mosaic Company, trapping him inside, the Polk County Sheriff's Office reported. Pronounced dead at the scene was John Frymire, 56, of Bartow. The victim was filling in dirt at a construction site when the bulldozer sank, a sheriff's spokesperson said . It went unnoticed for some 45 minutes when other workers noticed a part of the bulldozer just above the water line and notified authorities. Dive teams recovered his body late Friday afternoon, several hours after the incident.
Postal worker found dead at distribution center
Forest Park, IL - Federal and local authorities are investigating the death of a postal worker. They believe Antoine Thomas was run over by a semi-truck at the U.S. Postal Service Bulk Distribution Center in Forest Park. Thomas was found by another postal employee Thursday just after 10 p.m. at the loading dock. He was taken to a hospital in Maywood where he was pronounced dead.
2 men slain in holdup at North Phila. store
Philadelphia, PA-Police said a robbery turned into a grisly double murder inside SK Wireless, on Broad Street near Erie Avenue, shortly before 2 p.m., scarring the city with four homicides in less than 24 hours. Two employees of the store were shot and killed. A suspect was apprehended by cops after a brief foot chase. Carlton Robinson, 33, of Darien Street near Erie Avenue, was charged with two counts of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons violations.
Police declined to identify the victims, saying only that they were two men in their 30s. A relative said one of the victims was Sung Kim, 32.
Rope break may have caused 3 deaths
IA-The rope used to hoist three workers up a TV broadcast tower broke Wednesday afternoon, possibly causing the men to fall 1,200 feet to their deaths, officials said. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said a synthetic-fiber rope, which is marketed as being stronger than steel, is the only equipment that appeared to have failed during a preliminary investigation. Iowa Occupational Safety and Health officials began investigating the incident Thursday morning. "We know there was a break in the rope. How that occurred, we don't know," Danker said. "It's possible the rope broke as a result of the fall. Not having a good knowledge of how these things work, we just don't know yet." Leo Deters, 57, of Norwalk, Jason Galles, 27, of Des Moines and Jon McWilliams, 19, of Cumming fell at 2:30 p.m., Danker said.
Fiery Crash On I-95 Leads To Truck Driver's Death
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A truck driver was killed Friday afternoon when his vehicle crashed into a wooded area on the side of a highway. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 18-wheeler was traveling northbound on Interstate 95 carrying an open bed of potatoes when the driver, later identified as 61-year-old Edwin Halsey of Virginia, lost control of the vehicle and veered off the roadway about 3 miles south of International Golf Parkway. The truck crashed and the entire cab was engulfed in flames, fatally burning the driver inside.
2 workers killed in local accidents
Louisville, KY-Two workers died after on-the-job accidents in Louisville yesterday. Lawrence Downs, 48, of Georgetown, Ind., who worked at Conco, a steel-container manufacturer, died just after 6 a.m. at Norton Audubon Hospital, said R.D. Jones, a deputy Jefferson County coroner. Jones said it appeared that while Downs was working on an electrical box he touched a live wire with a wrench.
Bob Corcoran, vice president of Conco, said Downs was found unconscious. He would not give details, saying the incident is being investigated. The second fatal accident happened when a load of roof trusses fell on a man about 2:30 p.m. at a hotel under construction on Hurstbourne Parkway, near the Forum Center. The man was lifting a pile of wooden trusses with a forklift fitted out with a crane, said Officer Dwight Mitchell, a Louisville Metro Police spokesman.
The worker spotted debris on the trusses, so he got off the forklift and went to clear the debris, Mitchell said. At that point, the wood fell and hit him. The worker, who was not immediately identified, died at the site just north of Shelbyville Road.
Ironworker killed while erecting elevator
Cambridge, MA-A 47-year-old ironworker was killed last Wednesday while erecting an external elevator system high above 500 Technology Square. "He got caught and he was trapped up there an external piece of the elevator," said Cambridge Deputy Fire Chief Edward Mahoney, who assisted in the delicate hours-long process of removing the man’s body from the scene, at least 70 feet above the square. "I don’t know how he got in that situation exactly." The worker, identified as Joseph McWilliams of Chelsea, was dead when fire rescue workers arrived. He was found wedged in the elevator’s external mechanisms, Mahoney said
Maryland Paper Company Employee Killed in Accident
WILLIAMSPORT, Md. (AP) - A Maryland Paper Company employee is dead after an industrial accident at the company's Williamsport plant. The 58-year-old man died Wednesday after being caught between two machines at the plant, which recycles paper products into roofing material. The employee had worked at the plant for just seven months. Operations Manager George Delaplaine wouldn't go into detail about the accident, but said there was no indication anything was wrong with the machinery. Maryland Occupational Safety and Health and the Washington County Sheriff's Department are investigating the accident.
Worker Killed
MS-A construction worker was crushed to death Wednesday afternoon, while working the corner of South State and Rankin Streets. Police investigators and emergency crews were are on the scene accident for hours. The worker is identified as a 49-year old white male from Arkansas.
Beauty Supply Store Worker Fatally Shot, Police Search For Gunman
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Police are searching for the man they said shot an employee of a North Miami Beach beauty supply and dollar store on Tuesday afternoon. According to North Miami Beach police, an armed man entered the Dollar & Beauty Supply Store and shot the manager, 60-year-old Mohammad Ayoub, in the head.Police said they believe an armed robbery attempt led to the shooting, and that Ayoub got into a fight with the attacker before he was shot. Ayoub was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Holiday World Employee Laid To Rest, Michigan Officer Dies In Standoff
Dearborn Heights, MI-The Dearborn Heights community is mourning the loss of a police officer that was shot and killed in the line of duty. Officer Jason Makowski came from a long line officers, and he knew what it meant to protect and serve. Det. Sgt. James Serwatowski, of the Dearborn Heights Police, told 7 Action News, "There was multiple shots fired by this man, and when officer Makowski was attempting to take up a position and help protect the neighborhood, he was hit by one of the bullets by Mr. Wolf." Wolf continued shooting until a SWAT officer shot back. He died last night at Garden City Hospital. Officer Makowski died Thursday morning at U of M Hospital.
TRACTOR CRUSHES FARM WORKER
TOWN OF FREEMAN, WI -- A Reedstown resident died Thursday after his International farm tractor rolled over him at his farm on Bishop Hill road in the town of Freeman. Darrell Monk, 50, was found around 9:55 a.m. by another worker on the farm, according to a police report. The report states that Monk was using the tractor to feed cattle and got off it to close a gate when the tractor rolled forward. Monk was pronounced dead at the scene from chest injuries, said Camille Smith, the Crawford County coroner. In disaster's path;
Truck driver killed in crash on turnpike
SPRINGFIELD, NJ -- The driver of a tractor-trailer died Wednesday morning in a one-vehicle crash on the New Jersey Turnpike.
The accident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. on the northbound side of the highway at mile marker 48.2, police said.
2 men killed by machinery accidents in Defiance Co
DEFIANCE, OH - Two Defiance County men in their early 40s died after separate occupational accidents that happened about 18 hours apart over the weekend, and a third man was injured when he attempted to rescue his brother who died.
Rodney Sindel, 42, who lived in northwestern Defiance County, died in Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he was flown after he became pinched in a skid loader with a back hoe attachment. He had been using it to excavate at a residence on State Rt. 49 and became trapped about 8:20 p.m. Saturday.
Shortly before 2:20 p.m. Sunday, David Wiemken, 41, became caught in a silo auger. He was pronounced dead at the farm where he was working on Adams Ridge Road in northeastern Defiance County. Mr. Weimken's brother, Tim, 45, who was injured when he tried to free him from the auger, was flown to Toledo Hospital. Tim Wiemken was discharged yesterday.
Mississippi oil field explosion kills 3 workers, injures 1
RALEIGH, Miss. - An explosion Monday at an oil field in central Mississippi killed three workers and injured another, authorities said.
The workers were on a catwalk connecting four storage tanks at the time of the explosion, said Gary Wray, one of the owners of Partridge-Raleigh Inc., which owns the 280-acre oil field located about six miles southwest of Raleigh in Smith County.
Two died in the blast. A third worker was pronounced dead at Magee General Hospital, said spokeswoman Althea Crumpton.
Deputy Marty Patterson, with the Smith County Sheriff's Department, identified the victims as Toby Scarbrough, Nicholas Wayne Pounds of Foxworth and George B. Jefferson of Columbia. Patterson did not know the ages of the men or Scarbrough's hometown.
Contractor Killed in Skip Loader Rollover
RIVERSIDE -- A contractor grading a construction site was killed today when the skip loader he was driving overturned and crushed him, Riverside police said.
Randy Klinkenberg, 39, of Riverside, was taking the machinery up a 68-foot hill at Technology Court and Research Park Drive when it tipped over about 8:30 a.m., said Riverside Police Department's Steve Frasher. The unenclosed skip loader had a rollbar, but Klinkenberg was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the Riverside County coroner's office.
Man dies after being pinned near burning truck
GREEN RIVER WY -- A Colorado man died in a freak accident when he got caught between two pieces of equipment while his truck burned nearby. Steve Robinson, 35, of Craig, Colo., died of dehydration Thursday just off Red Desert Road, about 5 miles from Interstate 80, Sweetwater County Coroner Dale Majhanovich said.
Sheriff David O. Gray said it appeared Robinson was standing atop two frac tanks movable tanks for storing water, oil or other liquids when he somehow got caught between them. Meanwhile, equipment on his truck caught fire, igniting the truck itself. Robinson was too close to the fire, and was unable to get away. "It's just a terrible tragedy, just a terribly tragic death," Gray said. Robinson worked for High Desert Services, Gray said.
Man killed at road construction site in Calhoun County
SPARTANBURG S.C. -- A Spartanburg man directing highway traffic through a road construction site in Calhoun County has died after he was struck by a car. David Trent Blake, 27, died in the incident Wednesday afternoon, said Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth.
Blake was helping install guardrails near a swampy area on state Highway 6 near Cameron with a Spartanburg-based Bagwell Fence Co. crew.
Employee dies after accident at Williamsport paper plant
WILLIAMSPORT, MD -- A Maryland Paper Co. employee died Wednesday after being caught between two machines at the plant that recycles paper products into roofing material, a company official said.
Operations Manager George Delaplaine said the employee, a 58-year-old Williamsport resident, had worked there for seven months. He didn't want to publicly release the employee's name until he was sure the family knew about the death.
Two workers killed while setting up tent
YORKTOWN TX --Two men who were electrocuted as they set up a tent for a Christian retreat have been identified. Humberto Hernandez, 20, and Jason Vasquez, 22, both of San Antonio, died Friday. They had been putting up a tent at the El Shaddai retreat near Victoria when a pole they were using touched a service wire.
Lumber mill accident kills worker, 21
MAPLESVILLE, AL - Authorities said an industrial accident at a lumber mill in Maplesville claimed the life of an employee who was crushed by a machine. Investigators said Kevin Caver, 21, died in the accident that occurred around 8 p.m. Wednesday at International Paper. The Chilton County Sheriff's office and Maplesville police department were called to the scene. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Newburgh: Man Killed in Lawnmower Accident
Newburgh, NJ -- A Newburgh man on a riding mower drowned on Monday when the machine tipped into a pond and pinned him under two feet of water, the Newburgh police said yesterday. The man, Jorge Trinidad, 25, was cutting grass on a slope at the edge of the pond at an industrial park. Co-workers who saw the mower in the water about 3:30 p.m. freed Mr. Trinidad and tried to resuscitate him. Witnesses told the police that he may have been submerged as long as 30 minutes.
Blandin employee dies in accident
Grand Rapids, MN -- A 54-year-old employee of the UPM Blandin paper mill in Grand Rapids died Tuesday morning in an industrial accident. Robert Wilson was found unresponsive by a co-worker about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, said mill spokeswoman Rebecca Theim.
Wilson, who began working at the paper mill in 1974, was admitted at 9:30 a.m. to Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. James Honerman, a spokesman for the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said Wilson had died of burns, but could not elaborate.
Fumes Explode in Brooklyn, Killing Worker and Injuring 2
Brooklyn, NY -- Fumes from a waterproofing spray ignited and set off an explosion in the basement of a Brooklyn home yesterday morning, killing a 27-year-old workman and severely burning two others, one of whom staggered out into the backyard in flames.
The blast ripped through the kitchen floor of the three-story home on East 31st Street in Flatlands just seconds after a resident, Tzipora Friedman, walked out of the kitchen into the living room to look at fabric samples with a decorator who had come to the house, according to a cousin who spoke to Ms. Friedman yesterday. Her husband, Joseph Friedman, and their six children were not home.
Fire Department officials said that the man who was killed, Antonio Tapia of Burlington, N.J., and the other two workers were in the basement building a mikvah, or small pool, to be used for ritual baths that Orthodox Jewish women take after their menstrual cycle, before their wedding and after giving birth.
A Fire Department spokesman, James Long, said yesterday that the workers' employer, J. M. Pereira & Sons, a Langhorne, Pa.-based contractor, had been issued two summonses for storing more than five gallons of flammable liquid without a permit.
Detective's Funeral Held Today
Today, friends and family honored a former police officer who died following a brave battle with cancer. Hundreds of police officers gathered to honor one of their own.
Funeral services were held today for Jose Argueta. He died last week of esophageal cancer. Argueta was a former narcotics officer for Midvale Police Department. Before he died, he told KSL he believed his job caused his cancer.
Back in March, we spoke with Jose from his hospital bed. He told KSL he was upset about his cancer and upset at how he got it. During his career as a narcotics officer for Midvale police, Argueta investigated hundreds of meth labs, dealing with dangerous, toxic chemicals used to make the drug. He was given little training and issued only a paper jump suit as protection.
"I couldn't figure it out until I started mentioning to doctors that I'd worked as a narcotics officer doing meth labs. That's when all the doctors started saying, 'There you go. There's your answer.'"
