Posted with permission from Confined Space, a newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues.

Cab driver shot and killed while on duty

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Ali Khan, a 38-year-old United cab driver was shot and killed while on duty early Friday morning, according to information acquired by the New Orleans Advocate. The incident occurred just before 7:30 a.m. near the intersection of Lake Forest Boulevard and Michoud Boulevard, close to Interstate 10. Officers responded to a call of a man down and found Khan lying in a wooded area. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

One confirmed dead after paper mill accident

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Charleston County’s Coroner has released the name of a man killed in an industrial accident Sunday at the Kapstone Paper Mill in North Charleston. Lawrence Shiner, 60, of Moncks Corner died as the result of an accident at the facility Sunday night, the coroner’s office says. Kapstone officials said Monday Shiner died while doing maintenance work in an offline operating area. Another worker was injured, but released from the hospital.

Body of Iowa dam worker recovered from Mississippi River

KEOKUK, Ia. — Authorities have recovered the body of a worker who fell from a hydroelectric dam on the Mississippi River at Keokuk in southeast Iowa. The body of Ron Summers was taken from the water Sunday morning. He’d been working the night shift Friday night at the Ameren dam. He was reported missing early Saturday morning. A search soon was launched, but his body wasn’t discovered until Sunday. President Michael Moehn of Ameren Missouri says his employee Summers was a hydro technician with more than 50 years on the job at the dam and was a volunteer firefighter in Jackson Township, where he lived.

Victim in Cape Coral electrocution ID’d, OSHA investigating

Cape Coral, FL — A 38-year-old MasTec worker was killed Tuesday while working on a power line in Cape Coral. Cape Coral investigators found Timothy R. Moreno was exposed to a high voltage electrical charge and was transported to the Cape Coral Hospital emergency room, where he died of his injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating Moreno’s death, said Eric R. Lucero, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor. MasTec provides power line work to LCEC, the local power supplier. Phone calls and messages to MasTec, a Coral Gables-based company, have not been returned as of Friday morning.

NC corrections officer killed with fire extinguisher, officials say

RALEIGH, N.C. — A man serving life in prison for a 2004 murder in Cumberland County has officially been charged in the Wednesday assault and killing of a female corrections officer at a North Carolina prison, according to court documents. Craig Clifford Wissink, 35, is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Sgt. Megan Lee Callahan, 29, of Edenton. Callahan responded to a trash can fire in a living area and was attacked by Wissink around 5:30 p.m. at Bertie Correctional Institute, according to officials. Wissink took a fire extinguisher from Callahan and assaulted her with it. She died at 6:20 p.m. from injuries sustained during that assault.

Boom Truck Crane Topples Over in Dallas, Killing 51-Year-Old Man

Dallas, TX — A 51-year-old man was killed and another person was injured after a boom truck crane toppled over in downtown Dallas Monday afternoon, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue officials. The truck overturned at about 2:45 p.m. near a T-Mobile cell phone tower at 1700 Arts Plaza. Authorities said Isidro Morales, a worker on the ground, was pinned by the crane and died at the scene.

CHP: Caltrans worker kills supervisor, self in Rio Dell

Rio Dell, CA — Two people were killed at a Caltrans facility in Rio Dell on Monday morning in what the California Highway Patrol is calling a murder-suicide. “At this point, investigators believe that an altercation ensued between a Caltrans supervisor and another Caltrans employee over a work-related issue,” the CHP stated in a news release Monday afternoon. “The employee retrieved a handgun and fired several rounds at the supervisor, killing her, before turning the handgun on himself.” Investigators identified Terry Allan Hayse, 57, of Rio Dell as the shooter and Annette Kaleialoha Brooks, 61, of Carlotta as the supervisor killed in the attack.

Tow Truck Driver Killed On The Job Near Broward Mall

PLANTATION, FL – A tow truck driver was killed on the job Friday morning while picking up a car near the Westfield Broward Mall in Plantation. Plantation police said Frank Cangaura died early Friday morning as he stopped his tow truck to adjust a vehicle he was towing from the 8100 block of West Broward Boulevard. Cangaura’s boss, Stuart Weinstock, said Cangaura worked for Prowler Recovery for 12 years. “Just a super man, super man,” Weinstock said. Weinstock described how he believes the accident happened. “He was taking the car out of gear cause it was an all-wheel drive vehicle. He got underneath it. He didn’t realize he’d left the truck in drive and it crushed him,” Weinstock said.

Police ID manager shot, killed outside DeKalb laundromat

Decatur, GA — A search is underway for three men who shot and killed an overnight manager at a 24-hour laundromat in DeKalb County, police said. Police got a call of a person shot about midnight at the Coin Laundry in the 3500 block of Memorial Drive. When they got to the laundromat, located in Belvedere Plaza, officers found Carlos Lemmons with multiple gunshot wounds in front of the business,  DeKalb Maj. Stephen Fore said. Detectives said Lemmons, 25, of Decatur, was shot after he approached three men who were loitering outside the business, police said. “When confronted,” Fore said, “the males fired multiple shots striking the victim who died on the scene.”

Farm Employee Killed in Crash

Asotin, WA — Two employees of Hobart Farms were using a Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) to check for flooded fields on their employer’s farm. The employees drove up onto the shoulder of the road to cross HWY 129. After checking for vehicles they began to cross the roadway and were struck by a northbound traveling motor vehicle (truck). Speed limit for the HWY is 55mph. (Source: Washington Division of Occupational Safety and Health report)

Semi-truck driver killed in Shasta Co. I-5 crash identified

CASTELLA, Calif. – The driver of the semi-truck that crashed on I-5 Tuesday morning has been identified by the Shasta County Coroner’s Office as Davinder Singh Matter, 37, from Federal Way, Washington.  The crash was reported at 8:42 a.m. just south of the Flume Creek Road exit, south of Castella. According to the CHP, the Freightliner semi-tractor and trailer combination was traveling southbound on Interstate 5, north of Flume Creek Road, at an undetermined speed. For unknown reasons, the driver lost control of his vehicle and collided with the guardrail.

Employee Dies after Falling Down Asphalt Mixing Containter

Port Ludlow, WA — James Schneider, an employee of Lakeside Industries,  fell down an asphalt mixing conveyor and stairway that was approximately 71 feet long. He sustained multiple injuries and was airlifted to Harborview. He died while in the hospital on 4/26/17 at 12:10 pm. (Source: Washington Division of Occupational Safety and Health report)

Worker Dies After Bucket Truck Overturns

WAYNE TOWNSHIP, PA — A man died after the bucket truck he was in overturned in Wayne Township early Sunday afternoon. It happened just after noon in the 300-block of Dutch Ridge Road. The victim has been identified as 54-year-old James D. George, of New Castle. According to state police, George, a Penn Power worker, was elevated inside the bucket of a bucket truck to work on a utility pole. The truck became unstable, moved backwards and overturned onto its side. George fell from the bucket onto the roadway. A witness was told that it was a 30-foot fall. George was pronounced dead at the scene.

Man killed in logging accident in Hoover ID’d

HOOVER, Ala. — The logging company worker killed in an accident in Hoover on Thursday morning was identified as a West Blocton man. The Jefferson County coroner identified the victim as John Robert Townsend, 51. Townsend was part of a crew from Centreville-based Randolph & Randolph  Logging Company working to clear trees for a new residential subdivision at Wilborn Lake near Stadium Trace Parkway and the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. According to the coroner’s office, Townsend died from trauma suffered after being hit by a log that slipped from large mechanical boom loader. Townsend was operating a chainsaw at the time of the incident.

Fort Bragg man dies in logging accident

Fort Bragg, CA — A 22-year-old Fort Bragg man was killed this week in a logging accident, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported. Alexis Cedillo-Osorio died Tuesday after being struck by a tree on Bucha Ridge, near the Ten Mile Logging Road, according to sheriff’s Capt. Greg Van Patten. The tree was dislodged by another tree being pulled up a hill, he said. Cal/Osha is investigating the incident, Van Patten said. Osorio was a 2013 Fort Bragg High School graduate and the father of a days-old baby girl, according to a page set up to raise funds for his family.

Worker killed in accident at Northumberland County spa manufacturer identified

NORTHUMBERLAND, PA — A Snyder County man has been identified as the individual killed Wednesday when a 1,200-pound mold fell on him at swimming pool manufacturing company outside Northumberland. Anthony Parsons, 20, of Shamokin Dam, died from blunt force trauma to the chest due to entrapment in a spa metal mold, Northumberland County Coroner James F. Kelley said Thursday after an autopsy. Parsons, who was employed at Strong Industries Pool and Spas in Point Twp., suffered significant internal injuries, the coroner said. Death was almost instantaneous, he said. After reviewing security video, company owner WadeSpicer said it appears Parsons leaned into the mold possibly after dropping his cell phone. As he was wearing ear buds he would not have heard any warnings, he said.

Abilene roofer dies after accident at Jefferson Center

ABILENE, Texas – Lydick-Hooks Roofing in Abilene confirmed that one of its employees died Wednesday after a workplace accident. The company said the victim was a 29-year employee who was working at the Jefferson Center in south Abilene. He was taken to the hospital Wednesday morning and died from his injuries hours later.

Sandusky man dies from explosion

MILAN TWP., OH — Thomas F. Layton loved to race motorcycles as part of a tight-knit motorcycle community, and he loved his family, including wife Rosemary, son Tim, of Toledo, and daughter Tabitha, of Bellevue. All were struggling Wednesday with Layton’s unexpected death after an explosion at about 7 a.m. Tuesday at Coles Energy while he was transferring fuel between fuel hauling trucks. Milan fire Chief Brian Rospert previously told the Register it appeared there was a static charge that caused the explosion because of the fuel vapors in the air. Layton, 70, who lived in Sandusky, sustained trauma to his upper and middle torso, head and arms, as well as burns, his family said. Layton was transported from Coles Energy to Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk, then flown to Cleveland Metro Hospital. Doctors pumped 36 units of blood into Layton’s body throughout Tuesday in a failed fight to save his life, according to Rosemary.

Construction worker killed after machinery tips over

Marietta, GA — A construction worker died Tuesday after the boom lift he was working in tipped over, Cobb authorities said Wednesday.  Derrick Douglas, 41, of College Park was killed in the incident at the Wellington Point Apartments, 50 Maner Terrace in Smyrna, which saw Douglas ejected from the bucket of the boom lift when it tipped over, according to Officer Alicia Chilton, spokesperson for Cobb Police. The incident also critically injured another worker, who, along with Douglas, was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where Douglas was pronounced dead.

New York City Firefighter Dies After Falling from Roof

New York, NY — A New York City firefighter died on Thursday after falling from the roof of an apartment building while battling a fire in Queens, officials said.The firefighter, William Tolley, a 14-year veteran of the department, was part of a group of firefighters combating a blaze that started in a second-floor apartment in a five-story building in the Ridgewood neighborhood about 2:20 p.m.Mr. Tolley was stationed on the roof to help ventilate the building, a relatively routine maneuver, officials said. But something caused him to fall about 20 minutes after he arrived. The fire was brought under control around 3 p.m.

Road Worker Killed on the Job

HEMLOCK TOWNSHIP, PA — A township worker was killed on the job Tuesday in Columbia County. Police say he was hit by a dump truck driven by one of his coworkers. Officials in Hemlock Township say the crew members are all like a big family and this loss is hard to take. Joseph Benner, 60, of Catawissa, died on the job after he was hit by one of his coworkers.  Police are investigating the incident, but say the dump truck did not crash or veer off the road State police, Hemlock Township police, and firefighters spent most of the day at the scene of the deadly accident on Dahl Road near Bloomsburg. Benner was part of the Hemlock Township road crew.

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