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

Two Fatalities Confirmed in Helicopter Crash Near Smethport

Keating Twp, PA — Two workers were killed when a helicopter performing maintenance on power lines crashed late Sunday afternoon 1.5 miles north of Smethport Borough in Keating Township. The fatalities confirmed by State Police at the Kane barracks and McKean County Coroner Michael Cahill. A third person in the helicopter, believed to be the pilot, suffered multiple fractures and was transported to UMPC Hamot Trauma Center by State Medevac rescue helicopter. The maintenance helicopter went down around 5:15 p.m. in a remote wooded area off East Valley Road in Smethport. State Police Cpl. Lance Schimp said investigators believe that the helicopter was hovering next to a power line, while workers tethered to the aircraft performed maintenance on the lines. According to preliminary reports at the scene, the helicopter may belong to JWD an electrical contracting company. Erie News Now checked on line, and found J.W. Didado Electric Company in Akron, Ohio.

Employee Killed in Fall From Ladder

Everett, WA — An employee of Castle and Cooke Aviation, Phillip Hansen, was discovered on the ground adjacent to an aircraft being fueled at the Paine Field Airport. There were no witnesses to the event, but the scene suggests the employee fell from a ladder while preparing the aircraft for fueling. The employee suffered blunt force trauma to the head and was in cardiac arrest when emergency responders arrived. CPR was performed for about 40 minutes, and continued while in transit to Providence Medical Center in Everett. [Washington Department of Labor and Industries]

Truck driver killed in wreck

Fort Worth, TX — The driver of a tractor trailer died at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth Thursday from injuries sustained in an early morning two-vehicle accident on U.S. 81/287 just north of Farm Road 407. Juan Jasso, 36, of Bedford died in the emergency room of the hospital after being flown there by medical helicopter. Department of Public Safety Trooper Patrick Garcia said the tractor trailer hauling a tanker with diesel and a white Mercury Montego were northbound on U.S. 81/287. “We’re not sure why [the truck driver] took evasive action,” Garcia said. “The 18-wheeler lost control, started into a side roll, struck the passenger car from the rear and then proceeded to roll into the median.”

Layton man dies in accident at Clearfield twine factory

CLEARFIELD, UT — A 38-year-old Layton man died shortly after noon Saturday in an accident at the PolyExcel facility in the Clearfield Freeport Center. Clearfield police said they were notified of an incident at approximately 12:10 p.m. Saturday and first responders arrived to find the worker caught in machinery. The man was extricated from the machinery but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. PolyExcel manufacturers twine used in agricultural applications.

61-year old Hadley man killed after being trapped between two pieces of heavy machinery

Deputy killed on his way to help other officers survived by pregnant wife, 2 stepsons

SALUDA COUNTY, S.C. — A deputy who was killed in a crash as he responded to a call to help other deputies leaves behind a pregnant wife and two stepsons, according to the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies who were chasing an armed suspect who had a child with him just outside of Saluda County called for help from the bloodhound tracking team. Cpl. Dale Hallman, 30, was headed to the location of the search when he was involved in a single-vehicle crash.

Worker found dead at Henrico water facility; investigations underway

Henrico County, VA — An investigation is underway after a worker died after being found unresponsive at a Henrico County water facility. An employee for electrical contractor Reuter Hanney Inc. was found unresponsive at the Henrico Water Reclamation Facility about noon on Tuesday. The employee was taken to a hospital but did not survive, according to a Friday news release. Henrico police are conducting a death investigation, and Virginia Occupational Safety and Health is also investigating. Henrico’s Department of Public Utilities is helping with the investigations. Public Utilities Director Chip England said an employee at the facility joined a second employee from Reuter Hanney and performed CPR on the unresponsive worker until Henrico emergency medical technicians arrived.

Landscaper killed after being struck by plow at BMS campus in Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT — A landscaper was struck and killed by a privately-owned plow while crews were clearing snow at the Bristol-Myers Squibb campus Monday, according to officials. U.S. Department of Labor regional spokesman Ted Fitzgerald said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Bridgeport office has opened inspections into the landscaping company, Brightview Landscaping Service Inc., and the snow clearing company, Cherry Hill Construction Inc.

Fort Collins man, 25, dies after being struck by falling metal beam

Fort Collins, CO — 25-year-old construction worker was killed Wednesday morning when he was struck by a falling metal beam at a work site near Severance. Hayden Dean Wood of Fort Collins was identified Thursday by the Weld County coroner’s office. Wood was working at a site on County Road 23 when he was struck by the beam. He was taken to the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, where he was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon.

Seekonk man killed at Wynn Boston Harbor construction site

Everett, MA — A worker was killed on the construction site of the Wynn Boston Harbor casino and resort in Everett. The company he worked for on Wednesday identified him as 56-year-old Joe Teixeira of Seekonk. His death apparently involved a machine. In a press release, authorities noted that a preliminary investigation suggests that Teixeira “was operating an excavator at the south end of the construction site taking apart a trench box when the incident occurred.” While he reportedly regained consciousness at the scene before being taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, he later died. Tocco said Teixeira was an equipment operator who had been with the company for four years.

Lineman killed in tragic accident remembered

PRENTISS COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A lineman with the Prentiss County Electric Power Association is killed as he tried to restore power to homes after Tuesday night’s storms. It was around midnight when Jamie Guin and a co worker were dispatched to a downed power line, off of Highway 30 West. Guin’s bucket truck couldn’t access the area because of the steep and muddy terrain, so he put on his safety belt and climbed to the top.  Moments later, the other lineman, who was working on the ground, was startled by a loud sound. “He turned and looked to the pole where Jamie was and he saw Jamie slumped without any movement to his body, away from the conductor, so he knew Jamie was in bad trouble,” said Ronny Rowland, who is general manager for the Prentiss County Electric Power Association. He broke the news of Guin’s tragic death to office workers . Rowland says the 36 year old had worked at the electric cooperative for 13 years and rose through the ranks.

DOT worker struck and killed on Hutchinson River Parkway, cops say

Bronx, NY — A 57-year-old city Department of Transportation worker was struck and killed on the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx on Wednesday after a driver lost control of his car, police said. George Staab, a DOT electrician from Long Island who was assigned to the Bridge Repair Unit, was hit while he was working near the southbound Exit 4N at about 10:30 a.m., according to the NYPD and DOT. Staab and a colleague had just pulled onto the shoulder of the road and gotten out of their vehicle to perform “routine maintenance” on the parkway bridge when he was hit by the 62-year-old driver who lost control of his 2012 Subaru, DOT and NYPD officials said. Staab was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Worker dies after fall from Mississippi cell tower

UTICA, Miss. (AP) – A worker has died after falling from a cell phone tower in central Mississippi. Hinds County Sheriff’s Major Pete Luke said the man fell before 10 a.m. Monday. The victim’s name was not immediately released pending notification of family members. Luke says the tower was being erected off Mississippi 27 near Utica, in southwestern Hinds County. At least two other men were working on the tower when the man fell. No one was else was reported as injured. It wasn’t immediately clear how far the man fell.

Man dies after being struck by makeshift elevator in Brooklyn food market

Brooklyn NY — A 62-year-old man was killed when an illegal makeshift hoist at a Brooklyn food market landed on top of him Monday, police said. The accident happened about 11:50 a.m. at the KP Farm Market, on Nostrand Ave. in Flatbush. The Department of Buildings said the platform of the hoist landed on the man, who was in the basement at the time. Buildings officials said the hoist was being used by workers to raise and lower goods from the first floor of the supermarket.

Man Killed in Chainsaw Accident Identified

Humboldt County, CA –Officials are investigating a chainsaw accident near Trinidad earlier today that left a 29-year-old man dead. The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has identified the man killed in a chainsaw accident Monday as 29-year-old Edgardo Tirado-Rangel. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reports that, according to a witness on scene, the man was clearing brush on a property at about 10:30 a.m. when his chainsaw “kicked back” at him, causing fatal injuries.

BMW worker died in vehicle lift accident

29-year-old Madison firefighter dies in line of duty, official says

MADISON, Wis. (WISC) — A 29-year-old Madison firefighter died Sunday morning, according to a news release. Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster said Richard Garner collapsed suddenly in Mt. Pleasant shortly after completing his shift. Garner joined the Madison Fire Department on Sept. 24, 2012, and served as a firefighter and EMT at station 5 until moving to station 10 and becoming a paramedic in 2017.

O’Reilly Auto Parts says no security overhaul planned after 2 employees killed in Texas

Springfield, TX — A spokesman for O’Reilly Automotive’s headquarters in Springfield said Tuesday no company-wide security overhaul is planned after two employees were killed last month at a store in Texas. O’Reilly spokesman Mark Merz said the company still feels confident about its overall safety policies, and any specific concerns are constantly monitored on a store-by-store basis. “We feel that the policies and procedures we have in place to protect our team members and our customers are very comprehensive,” Merz said. Employees Cody Glenn Cornell, 25, and Robert Joseph Pellerin III, 35, were shot to death at an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Temple, Texas on March 14. The suspect in the homicides, 47-year-old Theodore Wayne Sims, is a former employee of the same store.

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