Fatality Files
Unusual Incident Claims Worker’s Life
The construction industry experiences a large number of struck-by injuries and fatalities, but an unusual incident recently took the life of a young father of two children. Victor “Bo” Towery, a 34-year-old heavy machine operator employed by A & A Grading and Hauling in Bessemer City, NC, died after being struck by an excavator set into motion by a large pipe that bumped one of its control levers. Towery, of Clover, NC, was standing in front of the five-ton excavator when it moved, crushing him. He was alive at the scene, but died...
read moreCompany Fined in Fatal Paint Vapor Explosion
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a dredging company for multiple alleged serious violations after one of its workers was killed and a second worker was injured in a paint vapor explosion in July 2011. Shawn Austin, 28, of Nashville, TN, died three days after paint vapors became ignited by a light that sparked. A second worker, Saul Hernandez, 26, suffered severe burn injuries, but survived. The victims had been painting the inside of a pontoon boat dredge when the blast occurred. Austin was married with three...
read moreWorker Dies from Burn Injuries
A 49-year-old employee at a plastics plant in Kentucky died 10 days after he was injured in a fire. Mark Stone was one of four workers injured in what has been referred to as a polymer flash at Polymer Partners LLC in Louisville. He suffered burns to more than 90 percent of his body. He was surrounded by his wife, Pam, their 19-year-old son, Jordan, and other family members when he died. A chair at the church where Stone taught Sunday school was covered with several items, including a tiny guitar and an angel, in the hope that he would survive...
read moreWal-Mart Charged in Worker’s Electrocution
A Wal-Mart store in Grand Falls, NB, and one of its supervisors have been charged after a 17-year-old worker died in hospital from an electric shock he received while using an electric floor buffer on a wet floor. The victim, Patrick Desjardins, who was in his final year of high school, loved life, his family, friends and the outdoors, according to his obituary. Charges issued by WorkSafe New Brunswick against Wal- Mart are as follows: Failure to ensure the health and safety of workers by allowing the use of an inappropriate floor polisher...
read moreWorker Dies After Using Lawnmower for Warmth
A 21-year-old worker died from carbon monoxide poisoning after starting a lawn mower in the back of a truck for warmth. Jorge Perez and his younger cousin were cold after spending several hours doing landscape work outside a church in the Bronx, NY. The two workers were found unresponsive when the truck reached Queens, NY. The lawnmower was still running in the confined space. Perez was pronounced dead in hospital, while his cousin was admitted in critical condition. Perez had moved to New York from Guatemala about three years ago. Running a...
read moreCrane Operator Slips on Icy Embankment and Dies
A 65-year-old crane operator died in Colorado as the result of a 14-foot (4.26 meter) fall after slipping on a snow-covered embankment. The operator was attempting to assist co-workers in cleanup operations. When he walked onto an embankment, he lost his footing. There were no guardrails or protective barriers to catch him and he landed on his back on a large rock at the base of the embankment. He was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Colorado Department of Health recommended that employers: Provide PPE for...
read moreWorker Killed After Safety Cord Becomes Entangled in Drill
A 39-year-old construction worker was killed after his fall protection cord became entangled in a large rock-drilling machine in the Aspen, CO, area. Greg Watson of Minneapolis died at the scene. He had been part of a work crew reinforcing retaining walls at a condominium complex. Just before the incident, Watson reportedly had been attempting to fix the horizontal rock drill, which had not been working. When he activated the drill, it caught his fall prevention cord and twisted his body around the spinning auger. The Occupational Safety and...
read moreVerizon Technician Dies After Touching High-Voltage Power Line
A 37-year-old married father of four pre-teenage daughters died after coming in contact with a 4,000-volt power line. Verizon technician Douglas LaLima, was installing high-speed internet cables on a telephone pole from a cherry picker in Brooklyn, NY, when he was electrocuted. LaLima died at the scene. “He was a cheerful person, a charming personality,” says a spokesperson from LaLima’s union. “He was always positive. He lit up a room.” Two co-workers immediately lowered the stricken worker to the ground, but it was too late. He had...
read moreCarbon Dioxide Caused Restaurant Patron’s Death
An investigation has determined that an 80-year-old Florida woman died from a lethal concentration of carbon dioxide in a McDonald’s restaurant bathroom in Pooler, GA. Ann Reynolds Felton was one of 10 people, including three firefighters, transported to hospital after a bleed line on a carbon dioxide tank used to carbonate soft drinks became disconnected within a wall cavity. Felton died in hospital one day after she was found unconscious in the restroom. Police Chief Mark Revenew told news media that because of the construction of the...
read moreWorker Killed by Tornado
The most powerful tornado to touch down in Ontario, Canada in 15 years took the life of a 61-year-old employee of the world’s largest rock salt mine in August, 2011. Normand Laberge, who was operating a boom at the Sifto salt mine in Goderich, ON, was caught in an F3 tornado packing winds of 174 miles per hour (280 km/h). Laberge, who had worked at the mine for three decades, was crushed under a pile of rubble. He had been in an elevated position when the tornado hit and had no time to get to safety. In a condolence message, a co-worker...
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