Mobile Equipment Accidents 4

Mobile Equipment Accidents #4

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

Excavator overturns, injures Waterville man 
By AMY CALDER, Staff Writer Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
WINSLOW — A Waterville man clearing brush was injured Thursday when an excavator driven by another man flipped on its side near the Sebasticook River and the bucket struck him. Nick Mansfield, 19, was taken by ambulance to Thayer Unit, MaineGeneral Medical Center, and was later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland, according to a MaineGeneral spokeswoman, who said she could not disclose the nature of his injuries. Mansfield was still being evaluated at the Portland hospital Thursday evening, a spokeswoman there said. Rescue workers were called to the scene off Route 100 at 2:05 p.m. where they drove down a long driveway past a house and onto a grassy field. From there, they carried a backboard and other equipment over an embankment near the river where the accident occurred. The excavator, an Ingersoll Rand Bobcat owned by Service Rental Inc. of College Avenue in Waterville, was on its side on a very steep embankment where workers were cutting trees and clearing and burning brush. Mansfield was lying on the ground, conscious, visibly in pain, and bleeding from the forehead. Rescue personnel worked quickly to place him on the board and start an intravenous line before carrying him up the bank to a waiting stretcher. He was taken by Delta Ambulance to the Waterville hospital. A rescue worker said Mansfield was lying under the bucket of the excavator. Fred Smiley, who owns the property where the accident occurred, said by telephone early Thursday evening that he had been driving the excavator just before the incident, and was able to get out of the cab as the excavator slowly turned on its side. “The excavator was pulling a stump out and it got turned around and from the pressure from the stump the excavator flipped, and on the way down, it happened to hit the kid,” Smiley said. A worker at the scene called 911, he said. Smiley said Mansfield was working for Smiley’s father, Richard, at the time of the accident. Fred Smiley is owner of S&M Construction, of Winslow. He said the accident was not related to his business. Besides Delta Ambulance personnel, those working at the scene included firefighters and police Officer Andrew Hill. A Winslow rescue truck had to be towed from the scene, as it had blown a head gasket, according to a tow truck driver. The driveway leading to where the accident occurred is about 7/10 of a mile from the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Route 100. 

Workman crushed to death by machinery 
By The Journal Oct 24 2002
Safety experts began a probe yesterday after a workman was crushed to death between heavy plant machinery. The 49-year-old man from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, who has not been named, was crushed between a tractor and a gritter at the Dunlop Tyres plant on the Wear Industrial Estate at Washington, where he worked. The accident happened at around 9am yesterday, and today a mechanical engineering inspector from the Health and Safety Executive is due to visit the plant to carry out an investigation. HSE inspectors were also on the site yesterday. Northumbria Police confirmed they had been notified about the death at around 9.05am, and had attended the scene. They said the case was not being treated as suspicious, and the HSE was responsible for the investigation. A Dunlop spokesman said: “An incident occurred within the grounds of Dunlop Tyres plant at Washington, which resulted in the death of an employee. “We have begun an internal inquiry into the cause of this incident and we are supporting investigations conducted by the police and the coroner’s office. “Our immediate concern and support is for the family of the employee and no further comment can be made until the findings of the investigation are known.” An HSE spokesman said: “It is our understanding that the man was crushed between a tractor and a gritter unit.” 

Man died after being crushed by own lorry 
By Hywel Trewyn Daily Post Staff Oct 24 2002
THE family of a fruit and veg wholesaler who died after he was crushed between two lorries were yesterday grieving for a loving grandfather David Colin Newell, 56, of Bala, was called out nine days ago after one of his two lorries had broken down on the A5 outside Corwen. His grieving widow, Linda, yesterday said that her husband had been trapped and had received serious head injuries after one of the lorries, which were back to back, had moved without him noticing. Mr Newell was airlifted to Wrexham Maelor Hospital but died the next day. Mrs Newell said that she had attended a thanksgiving service that day and had gone to collect her daughter Helen’s children, Cai, 10 and Cadi 7, from school when the police told her that her husband was very ill. She said: “It’s still difficult to believe.” They were school sweethearts and had been married 36 years. One of five brothers, Bala-born David or Dei as he was perhaps better known, trained and worked as a carpenter before deciding on a change of career 10  years ago, becoming a fruit and veg wholesaler. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays he would get up at 2am to go to the market in Liverpool and would then deliver the fruit and veg around Bala and Llanuwchllyn. Mrs Newell said her husband worked six days a week collecting orders and delivering. Then, three years ago he trained up as a projectionist and joined his wife working at the cinema in Bala, Neuadd Buddug, where she was selling confectionary. They lived above the cinema, now owned by Gwynedd County Council, and worked there on three nights a week. Mrs Newell said: “He really enjoyed being with children.” Although they only once went on holiday – and that was for a long weekend in Ireland – the Newell’s loved going out for a meal and eating out in local restaurants. Mrs Newell said: “I’m missing him a lot and my daughter and grandchildren are as well.” L David Colin Newell’s funeral will be a public service at Eglwys Beuno Sant, Llanycil tomorrow at 12.30 followed by internent at Pentrebychan  Crema torium, Wrexham at 2.30pm. Donations will be shared between Alcoholics Anonymous – Mr Newell was chairman of the local branch – and Ysgol O M Edwards, Llanuwchllyn. 

£12,000 fine for breach of safety
Oct 23, 2002
A Black Country cash-and-carry firm has been ordered to pay more than £15,000 for breaching health and safety regulations which led to a worker breaking his leg in a forklift truck accident. Hyperama, in Richmond Street, West Bromwich, pleaded guilty to three charges at town’s magistrates court today. These included a general charge under the Health and Safety Act, one count of failing to ensure the safety of employees in the workplace, and one of failing to ensure the safety of non-employees. Sandwell Council, prosecuting, said the worker driving the forklift truck had not been properly trained when the accident happened in July last year. They said the crash resulted in another male worker breaking his leg. Magistrates ordered the firm to pay £12,000 in fines and £3,582 costs. Chairman of the bench, Mr John Spittle said magistrates had taken into consideration the company’s early guilty plea. The company said it had taken steps to improve the situation and would pay the full amount within 28 days. 

Accidents
A forklift driver accidentally punctured a 55-gallon drum of dichlomethane, causing a spill at Roadway Express, 6880 S. Howell Ave., at about 1:45 a.m. Oct. 8.

Front-end loader accident leaves man in very critical condition 
By Veronica Chapin 
An employee with Sunbelt Rentals was airlifted to Shands Jacksonville this morning after being pinned underneath heavy machinery, according to the fire department. Rescue workers were called to the business at 9315 Old Kings Road So. about 10 a.m. where they found a 58-year-old man in very critical condition with a crushed chest, several broken ribs and a spinal injury, said Tom Francis, fire department spokesman. Witnesses told rescue workers the man was pinned by a mini front-end loader with a bucket and another piece of machinery at the business, which rents out construction and land-clearing equipment. The victim was already moved when rescue workers got to the business, Francis said. Homicide detectives are investigating the incident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also is expected to be called to the business to review the incident, Francis said. 

Addison man killed in Rathbone gravel pit accident
RATHBONE — An Addison man was killed about 2:30 p.m. Monday in an accident at Wade’s Concrete gravel pit on Saunder’s Road. Steuben County Sheriff’s Office deputies reported that David S. Watson, 48, of Hamilton Road, Addison, was operating a loader and loading gravel into a screening device when the loader slid sideways and then rolled over, traveling down a 15-foot embankment. Watson was pronounced dead at the scene by Steuben County Coroner Al Lewis. His body was sent to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester for an autopsy. The Cameron Fire Department, Cameron Ambulance Service and the state Department of Environmental Conservation assisted at the scene. An investigation into the accident is ongoing, the sheriff’s office reported.

Dump truck pins teen against tree
By A Sun Staff Writer October 18, 2002
A 17-year-old Dundalk resident was seriously injured in Glen Burnie early Wednesday when a co-worker backed a dump truck into a large oak tree, pinning the teen-ager against it. Patrick Ross Allen, of the 2900 block of Liberty Parkway, was in serious condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center yesterday evening, a nurse said. Allen was taken there after the accident at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday near Central Avenue. Police said Allen was standing on the left rear step of the truck when driver Wayne Lawrence Schemm, 62, of the 3500 block of Horton Ave. in Baltimore backed the vehicle into the tree. Allen’s legs, hands and chest were crushed, but he remained conscious at the scene, police said. Allen also suffered numerous internal injuries, police said. An investigator from the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health office has been assigned to the case, police said. Charges have not been filed, police said, but an investigation is under way. Allen and Schemm work for Gunther Refuse Service of Hanover. 

Labour ministry probes mining accident (10/02) 
The Ministry of Labour has launched an investigation into an industrial accident at Foxpoint Resource’s Ltd. underground operation in Kirkland Lake that resulted in one man being hospitalized with serious leg injuries. An employee with Alex MacIntyre and Associates was hospitalized Oct. 7 after being struck by a scoop tram. It is not known how long the investigation will take though; under the Occupational Health Safety Act such probes can take up to one year.

Farm accident kills man
The Leader-Post 
A 29-year-old man died in a farm accident on Saturday near Krydor, Sask., RCMP said. The accident happened at about 6:30 p.m. Police said Ryan Woytiuk of Blaine Lake was working on a bale wagon when the hydraulic loading deck collapsed, killing him immediately. Krydor is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

Cotton gin worker killed 
MARSTON – A man was killed when he became pinned between a truck and loading dock Sunday. Orlando J. Kershaw Sr., 39, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident at Richardson’s Gin at Marston. The accident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday. According to New Madrid County Coroner Tim Clayton, a driver of a cotton module hauler stated he backed the vehicle to the gin’s loading dock and did not see anyone. After returning from the office, the driver spotted Kershaw behind the truck. Clayton said Kershaw, who had been employed at the cotton gin for about a week, died from internal chest injuries. The body was taken to DeLisle Funeral Home in Portageville where arrangements are incomplete at this time.

Construction Worker Gets Trapped Under Truck
Man’s Identity, Condition Not Released
October 14, 2002
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A construction worker who was trapped underneath an overturned dump truck is recovering at UAB Hospital. Around 1:45 p.m. Monday, emergency services rushed to River Point Corporate Drive in Birmingham after getting a call that a construction worker was trapped under a dump truck. The accident happened near HealthSouth headquarters. Officials say the man works for Brasfield and Gorrie Construction, the company building HealthSouth’s new hospital. Lifesaver flew the man to UAB Hospital. His name and condition have not been released.

Clay County Judge dies in farming accident
The Associated Press
Clay County Judge L. Thomas McAnnally, a county judge since 1986, was killed in a tractor accident on his farm. McAnnally, 63, was clearing land Saturday when his tractor became stuck. He was injured when a second tractor he brought in to free the first rolled over on him. He was taken to Shands Jacksonville hospital where he died Sunday of internal injuries, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said. McAnnally graduated from Clay County High School, then earned a business degree from Jacksonville University. He worked as a certified public accountant before going to law school at the University of Florida. He began practice in 1971 and was a judge for Green Cove Springs in 1972-73 before becoming a county judge. Circuit Judge William A. Wilkes said McAnnally was well-suited to his job. “He has a personality that fit a county judge,” Wilkes said. “Everybody left the table believing they got a fair shake.” Survivors include his wife of 32 years, Virginia; son Tim McAnnally of St. Augustine, daughter Phyllis Ferri of Jacksonville Beach and three grandchildren. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Green Cove Springs.

Foreman is sentenced to jail in construction worker’s death
The foreman for a construction company who pleaded guilty to causing a Toledo worker’s death was sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay fines and court costs totaling $1,160. James Morrin, Jr., of Temperance, foreman for J.A. Concrete Construction Co. of Toledo, appeared before Monroe County Circuit Judge Joseph Costello Thursday. He began serving 359 days of the sentence – he received one day of credit, and the judge did not order the remaining five days, said Vanessa Longsworth, court spokeswoman. The judge also ordered J.A. Concrete to pay $145,593 to the victim’s family in restitution and $8,745 in fines and court costs. The company will be on probation for five years and perform 180 days of community service, Ms. Longsworth said. Morrin pleaded guilty in July to one count of willful criminal violation of Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration work site safety rules. The company entered a no-contest plea to the same charge as well as to one count of involuntary manslaughter as part of a plea agreement. The charges resulted from the August 2000, death of Robert Sorge, 24. He was backing his raised dump truck through the interior of a strip mall being built in Dundee, guided from behind by Morrin, when the top of the box touched a power line. When Mr. Sorge opened his cab door to escape the ensuing fire, he was killed by electric shock, police said.

Worker killed when run over by tree planter
A Houston man working at this resort community has died after being run over by a tree planter, Charleston County officials say. Daniel Garcia, 21, was pronounced dead Wednesday at the entrance to the construction site of a new luxury hotel at Kiawah Island Resorts, Coroner Susan Chewning said. Garcia worked for tree-planting company Environmental Designs of Houston. It was unknown how he got into the vehicles path. “No one saw what happened,” Chewning said. “There were no witnesses.” Garcia was discovered in the roadway by co-workers. He was part of a work crew that was digging up and replanting trees, mostly live oaks. Information from: The Post And Courier

Worker injured at construction site
By DAVE SHELTON
SPRING HILL – A workman at the new vocational-technical school apparently escaped serious injury Friday after he was pinned against a door frame by a construction machine. The man, whose name couldn’t be learned, was an employee of Suncoast Acoustics according to D.J. McGlothern, vice president of operations at Centex Rooney. Suncoast Acoustics is a subcontractor for Centex Rooney. The victim was leading a large machine used to hoist workmen up to work on ceilings, said a spokesman for Centex Rooney. He said he was directing the machine’s driver through a doorway into one of the new school’s pods when he was pinned against the doorway. “This could have been a serious accident,” said McGlothern. First reports said the victim was “crushed” by a machine and “pinned.” McGlothern said in actuality, the machine was easily backed away from the workman. County Fire Rescue responded and the workman was taken to Oak Hill Hospital where he was treated for bruises and released. McGlothern said there have been no serious mishaps at the construction site since work began. “We’re very safety conscious,” he said, explaining that safety officers were at the scene within hours studying how the mishap occurred and going over safety procedures with workers.

Worker is killed by A5 lorry 
A construction worker died today after he was hit by an HGV lorry as he worked on Shropshire’s notorious A5. The tragedy happened near the site of work on the Nesscliffe bypass at the Wolf’s Head crossroads, near Knockin, at 11.20am. Ambulance crews were scrambled to the accident but the man, from Merseyside, died at the scene. The A5 was closed at Mile End, near Oswestry, the Shottaton crossroads, and Bicton Heath and diversions put in place. The death comes as police today named a 31-year-old woman who died after being struck by a car as she walked along the A5 in Shrewsbury. Deborah Smallman, from Shrewsbury, died after she was hit by a white Ford van at Bayley’s roundabout, near Bayston Hill, at around 9.20pm on Wednesday. Police said Miss Smallman had been travelling in a Vauxhall Vectra minutes before the accident. Today’s fatal accident brings the total deaths on Shropshire’s roads to 35.

Two hurt in airport accident out of hospital
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI And DAN P. LEE Staff Writer, (609) 272-7258 Staff Writ
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – The incident occurred Tuesday night at Midlantic Jet Aviation, a charter operator that has a hangar on the airport grounds. The workers, employed by Midlantic, were towing the company’s Learjet into the hangar – using a piece of equipment called a tug – when they were injured and the plane sustained minor wing damage. “We’re looking into it and we’re trying to determine exactly what happened,” said Richard Hendrickson, Midlantic president. Police said William Parker, 51, of Egg Harbor Township, and Kevin Shaughnessy, 44, of Mays Landing, were injured around 9:15 p.m. when Parker, who was operating the tug, dismounted the vehicle and went to the jet’s port side to chock the landing gear. According to police, the tug apparently continued traveling backward and struck him in the back and leg, knocking him to the ground. The tug then struck Shaughnessy, who attempted to stop the vehicle and was pushed into the portside wing and knocked over. The tug came to rest after it struck the portside wing of the unoccupied jet, police said. Parker sustained injuries to his left leg and back and was transported to Atlantic City Medical Center, Mainland Division, in Galloway Township. Shaughnessy suffered injuries to his chest and back and was transported to Atlantic City Medical Center, City Division, in Atlantic City. Both men were treated and later released. “I certainly call it unfortunate. It’s horrible when people working for you are injured,” Hendrickson said. “Thankfully, they are both out of the hospital.” The Federal Aviation Administration has filed a report, but its involvement in any investigation will be limited because the plane was not conducting flight operations at the time of the accident. “There really aren’t any flight regulations that cover that,” FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker said. The engines were shut down and the aircraft was not running when it was being towed, according to Hendrickson. Although relatively minor, the mishap initially sparked intense media coverage because a helicopter from NBC Channel 10 in Philadelphia was given permission by air traffic control to film the scene while the accident was unfolding, an airport official said. “It appears the tower inappropriately gave them permission to fly over the scene,” said Gary P. Israel, a spokesman for the South Jersey Transportation Authority, the airport’s operating agency. The airport’s operations office ordered the helicopter to leave the area because it had entered restricted airspace next to the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th Fighter Wing base, Israel said. Two other news helicopters from Philadelphia television stations were later denied permission to fly over the scene. “There has been a lot of discussion over how the whole process evolved (Tuesday),” Israel said of the tower’s handling of the helicopter traffic.

Blaisdell confidant killed in accident 
By Rod Ohira, Advertiser Staff Writer
Angel Maehara, a prominent Hawai’i businessman and sportsman who was a trusted adviser to former Mayor Neal S. Blaisdell, was killed Tuesday in an industrial accident at Honolulu International Airport. Maehara, 83, was owner-president of Air-Flo Express and Hawaiian Papaya Co., which had offices at the airport. He was also the former owner of the Asahi baseball team, which he purchased from Mackay Yanagisawa in 1955. According to police, Maehara was walking on the ‘Ewa Concourse Access Road near the Continental Airlines cargo area shortly before 4 p.m. when he was struck by a forklift carrying a large container. Police Lt. William Kato said the 21-year-old man operating the forklift was driving forward, rather than reverse, and his vision may have been blocked by the container. Maehara was taken to Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 4:53 p.m. Police are awaiting autopsy findings before turning the case over to a state agency, most likely the Occupational Safety & Health Division, for further investigation, said Kato. “He was very proud of the Asahi team and his close association with Mayor Blaisdell,” attorney Eric Maehara said of his father. Maehara was an influential political insider during Blaisdell’s tenure as Honolulu mayor from 1955 to1969 although he held no official administrative position. Maehara managed all of Blaisdell’s grassroots mayoral campaigns. “Angel was such a good friend to my family and very loyal to my father,” said Marilyn Ane, the youngest of Blaisdell’s two children. “He coordinated all the campaign work but always stayed in the background after elections.” A Pu’unene, Maui native, Maehara received the Chuck Leahey Memorial Award in 1990 for his contributions to local baseball as owner of the Asahi, Hawai’i’s most storied senior league team. “He was never given enough credit for spreading international goodwill through baseball,” said Aloha Stadium general manager Eddie Hayashi, a former Asahi player and coach. “He took the Asahi to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Okinawa and Japan.” In 1974, Asahi recorded the biggest win in its franchise history by upsetting Cuba, 5-3, before 25,000 people in Tokyo. Angel was the brother of Maui baseball legend Ichiro “Iron” Maehara, the late Los Angeles Dodgers scout who signed Sid Fernandez and Onan Masaoka. In addition to his son Eric, Maehara is survived by his wife, Mary; other sons Marc and John; daughters Carol Takeuchi, Mona Maehara and Lois Tanaka; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Private services are planned.

Crushed to death by steel beams 
A TRAILER driver hopped out from behind the wheel to help his colleagues load some beams onto his vehicle, and was crushed to death by 13,500 kg of steel for his pains. Mr Mohamad Kasim Haji Alias, 38, need not have pitched in, said his brother-in-law, who declined to be named, ‘but as always, he was such a friendly and helpful person that he did so anyway’. ‘He’s the best father, the best husband and the most hardworking and kind employee anyone could have,’ he said. The accident happened at Keppel Distripark on Tuesday at about 8 am and killed the father of three on the spot. He and his friends had loaded eight of the beams onto the vehicle safely, but the ninth slipped suddenly and all the beams fell onto the helpful driver. His brother-in-law, who rushed to the accident scene, said that there was no sign of the two U-bars needed to balance the 12m-long, 1,500-kg beams even though these bars are required by law when large supports are being moved. He said Mr Mohamad Kasim and his colleagues had apparently used a small forklift to lift the beams and had steadied the two ends of these enormous rods manually. The dead man’s wife, Madam Azizah Haji Bahrum, 36, said she was going to take their children, aged 11, eight and three, to meet their father for lunch at his workplace on the day of the accident as a treat for Children’s Day. A spokesman for PSA Corporation, which manages the distripark, confirmed that a man was killed at the Keppel site, but declined to comment further as the police are investigating the death.

Area youth injured in farm accident 
A 17-year-old area youth was injured Tuesday afternoon and is in critical condition after a farming accident in rural Madison County. The accident occurred near Shawn Webster’s property at 3781 S 1100 East. According to Deputy Rudy Lopez of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the boy was caught between a tractor and a sorting table. The Sheriff’s Office wouldn’t release the name of the victim because his parents hadn’t approve a release. Lopez says wet weather and snow was a factor in the accident. The tractor was backing up to remove debris and was driven by another unnamed 17-year-old. He says the tractor may have stopped in time if the ground had not been wet. The youth is in critical condition and is suffering from a pelvic fracture. He was taken to Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg and then to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls later that afternoon.

UPDATE, Truck assembly plant worker recovering from accident
By Todd Seibt
Flint — A Flint Truck Assembly Plant worker who was seriously injured when he was run over by a pickup truck at the plant Sept. 20 remains hospitalized but is improving. Larry Stevenson, 49, of Grand Blanc said Tuesday he is doing better at McLaren Regional Medical Center after undergoing surgery Saturday for a broken pelvis. He said his pelvis was broken in three places. Stevenson works as a driver, taking crew-cab pickups off the end of the production line. The plant builds versions of the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado, plus medium-duty commercial trucks on a separate line. Mark Hawkins, shop chairman of UAW Local 598, which represents hourly workers at the plant, said the accident was unusual in that it involved a crew-cab dually with no pickup box on the back. About 2 percent of the plant’s production involves such trucks. Hawkins said Stevenson, who reached 30 years of seniority Sept. 1, apparently stepped back to let another worker pass by and was caught by the dual rear wheels as another driver took the truck off the line. Normally, Hawkins noted, the pickup box would have kept him from the direct path of the wheels. After the accident, Stevenson was treated at the scene, stabilized and taken to the plant medical department by an in-plant ambulance, plant officials said. Hawkins, who hired in with Stevenson, said the accident has been investigated by union and management personnel. Plant spokesman Bill Grotz and Hawkins said steps will be taken to prevent a similar situation in the future. “Although our employee was seriously injured, we are pleased to report that he is on the road to recovery,” Grotz said.

MAN CRUSHED BY FARM TRAILER 
A man died after being crushed by a farm trailer that had broken free from its tractor, a jury at Bristol Crown Court heard. The 20-tonne agricultural trailer had careered down a hill before hitting a car, where Stephen Hayfield, aged 39, was sheltering from the rain. Mr Hayfield, of Hallen, near Avonmouth, died from multiple injuries on November 14, 2000, while on a fishing trip in the Mendip Hills. It is alleged that the trailer was sent on to the roads in a dangerous condition by its owners, agricultural contractors Dennis Clothier and Sons, based in Chewton Mendip, Somerset. But the company, director Julian Clothier, 33, of Chewton Mendip, and farm worker Simon Burrows, of Bath, all deny the manslaughter of Mr Hayfield. On the second day of the trial, a policeman who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident gave evidence. PC Malcolm Dykes, of Avon and Somerset Police, said he questioned Simon Burrows, who had been driving the tractor, at the scene. That interview was read out in court.Mr Burrows had told PC Dykes that he had loaded straw onto the trailer before starting to climb a steep country lane. Mr Burrows said to the policeman: “I was about half way up and the tractor wheels started to slip because of wet leaves on the ground. “I saw an elderly couple and asked them to stop the traffic so I could have another go. “This time, I got nearly to the top of the hill and the wheels started to slip again in the leaves. The next thing was I heard a big bang and saw the trailer going back down the hill. “A fisherman came running up saying somebody was under the load of straw. “I moved the vehicle to the side of the road. I was panicking as to what to do. I rang the ambulance and police.” The court heard that the hitch mechanism connecting the tractor to the trailer failed under the strain and the trailer unit “popped out”. Paul Garlick, prosecuting, claimed the defendants were guilty of “gross negligence” because they should have known that the hitch mechanism on the tractor and trailer was “badly worn” and that there was a “real risk” it could become detached. He said Mr Burrows was the regular driver of the unit and had attached the trailer himself on the morning of the crash. Mr Clothier carried out maintenance on the company’s vehicles and should have noticed the defects which, he said, were “obvious to the naked eye”. Mr Garlick also said that the trailer itself had no operational emergency braking system, because the failsafe system which could have slowed or even stopped the trailer, was not connected at the time of the crash. “There was no way at all it could be stopped from careering down the hill just like a train, ” he said. The case continues.

UPDATE, Forklift truck crushed worker 
By Marie Foy 
A CORONER has warned of the dangers of forklift trucks after a father of three was crushed as he walked along a quarry workyard. Comber man John Mullin (45) was struck by the forklift at the Readymix NI quarry at Skelton Road in Banbridge in March last year. Mr Mullin, who was working as a fitter for a sub-contractor on the site, died from multiple injuries. A jury found that the forklift driver’s vision was impaired by the booms at the front of the vehicle. They also found a lack of caution signs on the site contributed to the accident. The jury said Mr Mullin obviously had not heard the forklift, which was behind him, until too late. The vehicle driver, Andrew Thompson, from Banbridge, said he had been moving blocks in the yard. He noticed a mini digger begin to reverse and he put his foot on the brake in case it came out. “The next thing I remember was I thought blocks had fallen out from the grab as I saw a digger driver sprint towards me.” He added: “At no time as I travelled down the yard did I see Mr Mullin.” Dr Brian Monson, from the Health and Safety Executive, told the inquest that 50% of the view of the driver would have been obscured by the booms. He said Mr Mullin could have been hidden from the driver at all times prior to the accident. The expert said forklift trucks were a well-known risk in the industry. Yard foreman Adrian Thompson gave evidence that it had been agreed with the sub-contractors, Drilling and Pumping Supplies Limited, that no work would be carried out in the area where the forklift was operating until the machine had finished for the day. However, Mr Mullin’s workmate, Paul McCullough, said they had not been told they were not allowed to go across that section of the yard. Expressing sympathy with family and friends, coroner David Hunter said the inquest highlighted the problem with forklift trucks.

Firms evacuated after chemicals spill
BRUSSELS — Fire crews and chemical experts in Flemish Brabant expect to take another day to clear up following a chemical spill that led to the evacuation of a dozen nearby companies. On Thursday a forklift truck in Haasrode, near Leuven, crashed into containers containing poisonous chemicals at a factory in an industrial zone. The containers started to leak and the chemicals mixed. Nobody was injured in the incident, but as a precaution a dozen nearby buildings were evacuated. A specialised team from Germany arrived Thursday evening to tackle the spill using absorbent granules to soak up the chemicals. Meanwhile, fire officers from Leuven were called to clear up a railway carriage that was leaking argon gas near the city station. The gas, which was leaking due to a defective valve cap, was not dangerous, but people were kept at a distance as a precaution. Passenger traffic was not interrupted due to the incident.

UPDATE, OSHA fines construction companies for death of Meadville worker 
The Associated Press 
MEADVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Two Mississippi companies face fines for what the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says was a failure to keep construction equipment in proper working order. The violations on April 10 caused the death of a highway construction worker, said Clyde Payne, OSHA’s Jackson area director. OSHA did not release the name of the employee. Mount Olive-based Blain Companies was fined $49,000 for failing to have a proper braking system on a backhoe and $2,100 for not equipping the backhoe with a seat belt, horn and reverse signal alarm. Subcontractor Laurel-based MAGCO Inc. was fined $3,675 by OSHA. The companies were engaged in a project to widen and repave Mississippi 84 and Mississippi 98 when a MAGCO employee hitched a ride on the side of a one-seat broom sweeper. The defective backhoe hit the sweeper, causing the MAGCO employee to fall off and under the backhoe. OSHA said. “Company officials knew this backhoe had no braking system,” Payne said. “They ignored their own safety proceures and OSHA regulations because they were in a hurry to make up lost time.” MAGCO was fined for permitting unauthorized employees to ride equipment and permitting employees to work in highway zones without reflective vests. Each company has 15 days to contest the penalties before the OSHA Review Commission. 

UPDATE, Ontario dealer fined C$175,000 for health and safety violation
Burlington, Ontario – September 26 – United Lumber and Building Supplies, a three-unit Home Hardware dealer, has been fined 175,000 Canadian dollars (US$111,076) for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act here that resulted in the death of an employee, according to Dow Jones report. In June 2001, an employee was crushed between a forklift and tractor-trailer. The employee had been operating the forklift and dismounted it in order to catch up to a wayward sono tube that had rolled off the fork. However, the forklift continued to roll toward the employee, ultimately pinning him. An investigation by the Ministry of Labour found that the employee had not been properly trained to operate a forklift. Also, an inspection of the forklift showed that it was in poor mechanical condition with a broken emergency cable, a missing emergency brake lever and the emergency brake was not working.

Pike worker hurt in truck accident
STONY RIDGE – An S.E. Johnson Cos. construction worker was hurt yesterday when he was hit by a dump truck on the Ohio Turnpike near the Stony Ridge interchange, the Ohio Highway Patrol said. Stacy Overmier, 57, of Liberty Center, Ohio, was taken to Medical College of Ohio Hospitals by a medical helicopter and was admitted in fair condition. His arm was wedged under a rear tire of a truck driven by Michael Falor, 59, of Delta, Ohio, troopers said. Mr. Overmier was hit in the westbound lane as crews were installing a third lane near the interchange, troopers said. The accident remains under investigation. 

Bulldozer crushes Gary man 
By Richard Grey, Post-Tribune staff writer 
JOLIET, Ill. — The death of a longtime power plant employee who was killed there when a bulldozer crushed the car he was in appears to be an accident, a Will County sheriff’s official said Wednesday. But Chief Deputy John Moss said: “We’ll investigate it until we know there’s no foul play or criminal activity involved.” John Fordham, 52, of Gary, was alone in a company car about noon Tuesday at the Midwest Generation plant near Joliet when the bulldozer working at a nearby coal pile backed over the vehicle. Fordham was pronounced dead within an hour by the county coroner’s office. Moss said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an investigation. Midwest Generation is also investigating the incident, said company spokesman Doug McFarlan. He said it was unclear why Fordham, whose job for more than 30 years involved moving coal from the yard to the plant furnaces, was parked near the coal pile where the bulldozer was working. Fordham’s death sent shock waves through his south Aetna block of trimmed lawns and well-kept houses. One of his neighbors, Edward Jones, is said to have called him a “perfect neighbor.” His wife, Ruthye, 52, said Fordham was in perfect health. “He once had a mild heart attack, but since then he worked out religiously and he had just taken a physical and came away with a perfect bill of health,” Ruthye Fordham said. Her husband had earned an early retirement from working with Commonwealth Edison and a number of its subsidiaries, but he wouldn’t earn a medical insurance package until he reached age 55. “That’s why he was still working, but he planned to retire for good in three years,” she said. “And never work for money again,” according to Robert Watson, one of Fordham’s oldest and dearest friends. Watson lives in Washington D.C., but has been close to Fordham ever since they played side-by-side on the first varsity football team at Gary West Side High School in the fall of 1968. Ruthye Fordham said her husband often talked about doing volunteer work in the community after he retired. Survivors include one daughter, Antoinette Geddes, 32, of Valparaiso. Funeral arrangements are pending at Guy and Allen Funeral Directors in Gary. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mower kills golf course worker
The groundskeeper was pinned at the bottom of a pond by the 700-pound riding lawn mower. His wife, also a groundskeeper and a former nurse, tried to save him. 
By CHRIS TISCH, Times Staff Writer, St. Petersburg Times
LARGO — A golf course groundskeeper was killed Wednesday morning after the riding lawn mower he was driving flipped into a creek and pinned him under about 3 feet of water. Mike Joiner, 31, was mowing the tees at Pinecrest Golf Course when his mower apparently slipped on wet grass at the 14th tee and slid down a short hill. The mower flipped on its back and landed in a creek at the bottom of a steep drop, pinning Joiner underneath. Nobody saw the mower go in the water. A threesome of golfers saw the partially submerged mower as they played the 14th hole. Not realizing a man was pinned underneath, they played a couple more holes before telling other groundskeepers about the mower. One of those groundskeepers was Joiner’s wife of eight years, Joni. She and two others sprinted the 75 yards from the maintenance shop to the creek. They couldn’t see Mike Joiner. They weren’t sure whether he was under the machine or was up walking around. Golf course superintendent Jesse Emerson jumped in the creek and felt under the mower. He didn’t feel anything and thought to himself: “Thank God.” Then Emerson lifted the mower and flipped it over. He reached down and felt bluejeans. Joiner’s body floated to the surface. Joni Joiner, who for many years was a nurse, performed CPR while Emerson ran to call 911. But they never got a pulse. Paramedics took Joiner to Largo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:06 a.m. Police said Joiner may have been knocked unconscious when the 700-pound industrial mower landed on him, pinning him face down on the bottom. He was believed to have drowned. There was no evidence of trauma to his upper body, said Pat McGinley, district chief of the Largo Fire Department. “He probably wasn’t able to push it off of him,” Emerson said later. “When I got there, I just had the adrenaline going and just threw if off of him.” Joni Joiner was distraught, but said she enjoyed her time working with her husband. She said he taught her a lot about the outdoors. “All my years of nursing couldn’t save him,” she said. Joni Joiner said her husband was born in Alabama and had a rough life as a child. He was separated from his mother at age 11 and spent time in foster homes. He was a diabetic who spent his late teens living on the street. “He was a survivor,” she said. Having a profound love of the outdoors, Mike Joiner later found work as a lumberjack in Tennessee, which he did for years. He had worked in the golf course industry in Florida for several years. “He loved working outside,” Joni Joiner said. “That was his life.” He and Joni married about eight years ago. Mike grew very close to her daughter, now 14. “He was a loving husband and a good stepfather to my daughter,” Joni Joiner said. He and his wife worked in the golf course industry about two years. They started working at Pinecrest just over a month ago, Emerson said. Joni Joiner said she will continue to work there. “He would have wanted that,” she said. Emerson said he plans to plant a tree on the course in Joiner’s memory, complete with a plaque. “I have a hard time finding decent workers in this area, but he just outshined everybody,” Emerson said. “He was so happy to be here. He loved being on the equipment. He was an excellent operator of the equipment and was a really good worker. He showed up to work on time every day and just loved his job. He was an outstanding worker, one of the best I’ve ever had. “Such a good guy, too,” Emerson said. “It was a pleasure to come in here everyday and see him with a smile on his face.”

Construction Worker Dies in Stillwater Accident 
by The Associated Press
One man was killed and another injured in a construction accident in Stillwater. Police were called around 1:30 yesterday afternoon on a report of a construction worker trapped. Authorities found two men trapped under a Bobcat loader. A 27-year-old Marine-on-St.-Croix man was trapped between the bucket and the lift frame, and was dead at the scene. The other man, a 34-year-old from Stillwater, was trapped at the rear of the machine by the lift arms. He was extricated and taken to the hospital. Police say a preliminary investigation indicates the cause of death was apparently accidental.

Forklift slips, seriously injures Tarboro man
By Tom Mayer, Editor
TARBORO – An accident at a farm equipment manufacturing business Tuesday involving a forklift operator, resulted in injuries and emergency surgery to a Tarboro man. Allen Pierce, 60, a long-term employee with Long Agribusiness, an importer and manufacturer of large farm equipment in Tarboro, was airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital following an accident at the business. Pierce was in fair condition late Wednesday, said Jennifer Rosenberg, a spokesperson for Pitt County Memorial. A separate spokesperson confirmed that Pierce was in an intensive surgical care unit Wednesday following surgery. Pierce’s wife, Hilda Pierce, said Wednesday that she had requested Allen remain in intensive care. Her husband, Hilda Pierce said, has a broken leg, broken arm and internal injuries. A skin graft, she said, may be needed to save his arm which was cut to the bone in the accident, but she said she expects her husband to fully recover. “The Lord has been with us,” Hilda Pierce said. According to Andy Bodane, chief financial officer for Long Agribusiness, there were no witnesses to the accident, and an internal investigation is ongoing. Hilda Pierce also doesn’t know exactly what caused the accident, but she said that a forklift had been on blocks, and as her husband, an experienced mechanic who has been with Long Agribusiness for 42 years, was performing repair work, the machine slipped. “Another few inches and they say it would have crushed his head,” Hilda Pierce said. “There was an accident in one of our shops,” Bodane confirmed Tuesday. “One of our employees (Pierce) was working on repairing one of our forklifts when it tipped over.” An emergency call to rescue workers at around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday reported that Pierce was pinned under the forklift. Bodane could not confirm the report, but did say that Pierce was transported to Heritage Hospital, and then taken to Pitt County Memorial. Bodane said he did not know of a current Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation resulting from the accident, and OSHA officials did not have a report on the incident Wednesday. Companies are only required to report workplace accidents to OSHA if they involve a fatality; OSHA otherwise initiates investigations as a result of inspections or complaints. An OSHA report closed Aug. 6, 2001 resulted in the finding of two serious violations against Long Agribusiness for unspecified breaches. The company was fined a total of $3,297 for the violations. “This was an unfortunate accident,” Bodane said. “We’re still investigating it. We all hope he can come back soon.” Hilda Pierce says she is praying for a quick recovery for her husband, but it will be a “long, long, long time before he can go back to work.”

UPDATE, Accident verdict on crush victim; The jury heard the forklift was not faulty
A verdict of accidental death has been returned on a teenager crushed by a tonne of frozen chickens. Paul Langfield, 17, was working for Lincolnshire company QK Cold Stores when a pallet being moved with a forklift truck fell and crushed him. Paramedics battled to save the teenager but he died from his injuries on the way to hospital. The inquest, in Grantham, was told there were no faults with the forklift and the driver was fully trained. After the verdict, jurors added a recommendation to be passed to the Health and Safety Executive regarding the way pallets are stored and moved. Paul’s parents made a brief statement thanking West Lincolnshire District Coroner Roger Atkinson, adding they now hoped to move on with their lives. QK Cold Stores has since been bought by businessman Phil Hanley. A spokesman for the company said: “This was a tragic accident. It has been a traumatic ordeal for everyone concerned over the last two days. “Phil Hanley would like to offer his sympathy and condolences to Mr Langfield’s family.”

Toxic spill inside warehouse fells 3 
by Jennifer Morrill Journal staff writer 
A 275-gallon container of toxic hydrogen peroxide spilled inside a Duncan Avenue warehouse and trucking facility in Jersey City yesterday morning, sending three workers to the hospital complaining of respiratory burns, fire officials said. The workers, whose names were not released, were taken to the Jersey City Medical Center for observation, said Fire Department Deputy Director Jose Cruz. According to Cruz, the 7:30 a.m. spill at Plymouth Rock Trucking – a company that transports everything from refrigerators to chemicals – happened as the container was being hoisted onto a truck using a forklift. The hydrogen peroxide was diluted to 52 percent, much higher than the normal 3 percent solution used for medical purposes, Cruz said. At that level, the chemical can seriously burn skin and cause severe injury to the respiratory tract, he said. Cruz noted the seriousness of the situation, saying that had the chemical – which acts as a fire accelerant – come in contact with oil, garbage or a flammable liquid, a serious fire could have started. “They were very lucky,” Cruz said. “If this had ignited, we would have had a lot of injuries.” The building was evacuated and the Fire Department’s Haz-Mat unit, dressed in protective suits, entered the building to determine what the chemical was and the best way to clean up the spill, Cruz said. The Hudson County and the state Departments of Environmental Protection responded to the scene, near Stockton Avenue, to assist firefighters in the clean-up, which was classified as a one-alarm incident, Cruz said. No firefighters were injured, he said, and every precaution was taken to make sure no one was unnecessarily exposed to the hydrogen peroxide. Fire Prevention Specialist Matt Barrett was also called to the scene, and cited the company for numerous fire prevention violations, such as improper storage of materials, and unlit exit signs. Firefighters on the scene compared the incident to a five-alarm fire at the Jay Dee Trucking company, located nearby on Duncan Avenue, because of the similarities in the structure. That fire, in early March, closed area roadways for several hours and caused serious damage to the structure. Last Friday morning in Freeport, Texas – about 50 miles from Houston – a similar spill was reported when a tanker car filled with ammonia set off a large explosion. According to reports, no one was reported injured in that incident, although thick black clouds of smoke could be seen for miles.

UPDATE, Golf course worker dies 2 months after mishap 
By Michael A. Fuoco, Post-Gazette Staff Writer 
An Allegheny County employee who was injured in July when he had an apparent seizure and crashed a golf cart on the South Park golf course died yesterday. Bruce Collins, 36, of McCandless, died at 11:10 a.m. in Allegheny General Hospital. The cause of death is pending further tests, the Allegheny County Coroner’s office said. Collins, a full-time employee of the Allegheny County Parks Department, was taken to AGH in critical condition after the incident July 11. He had been driving a cart back to the clubhouse when he lost control of the vehicle and careened across the fairway of the 15th hole, which has a deep valley. Several witnesses said Collins was unconscious when the cart smashed into a dirt and gravel embankment on the course.

Wayne youth dies in bulldozer accident
By DAN CHANZIT Kane County Chronicle
WAYNE — Friends and families are mourning the death of a 10-year-old Wayne boy who died after being crushed by a bulldozer. Kevin Kenneth Schoen died Saturday morning at Sherman Hospital in Elgin. He was riding the bulldozer with his father, John, who is a contractor. “Dad operated heavy machinery, and he loved to be with his dad,” said the Rev. Thomas Niermann of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Elgin. “He wanted to do what his dad did. A best friend told me he was talking about what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wanted to be just like his dad.” “It was a really tragic accident. People are still in a state of shock,” he said. Kevin attended the church’s 192-student school with his brother, Eric, and sister, Kellie. “Kevin was a real vibrant 10-year-old,” Niermann said. “He was fun to be around.”
Most church friends found out about Kevin’s death Saturday at an ice cream social. The school conducted an all-student assembly Monday. Students and teachers are putting together a memorial. Niermann urged parents to talk about the accident with their children. “Be honest and open with your children,” he said. “Give them as much information as possible. And let everyone grieve in their own way.” Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. today at Laird funeral Home, 310 S. State St., Elgin. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 101 N. Spring St., Elgin.

Highway worker dies 
CHILDRESS – A Childress man died Friday in a road construction accident in Childress County. Pablo Gutierrez Solis, 59, died shortly after 4 p.m. Friday at the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and Farm-to-Market Road 2042, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety report. Solis, a heavy-equipment operator, died at the scene after a Danapac Pneumatic Roller he had been operating ran over him, the DPS report said. Solis apparently left the vehicle in reverse and stepped off the vehicle. He was walking behind it when the accident occurred, according to DPS.

Worker dies in accident at Nemacolin resort 
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
An employee of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa died yesterday when he was struck by a utility cart that rolled over and threw him onto a ski slope. Timothy Umbel, 20, of Friendsville, Md., was killed in the accident. He and Reed Chambers were working on weed removal behind the resort’s Adventure Center, in Farmington, Fayette County. They were driving downhill when the cart overturned. Umbel died at the scene shortly before 1 p.m. Chambers was treated at Uniontown Hospital. Umbel had worked at the resort for almost two years while studying electrical engineering at Fairmont State College.

Ammonia Leak From Meatpacking Plant Spurs Evacuations
The IBP meatpacking plant at Columbus Junction was evacuated and roads in the area were blocked off after anhydrous ammonia leaked from the plant Sunday (9/8/2002) evening. A maintenance crew using a forklift struck an anhydrous ammonia line just before 8 p.m. About 200 gallons of ammonia was released into the building, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office said. IBP spokesman Gary Mickelson said the accident involved an ammonia valve in the plant’s engine room. The plant does not operate on Sunday’s, but Mickelson said there were about 25 employees, most working on a maintenance team, in the plant at the time of the accident. Workers not involved in containing the leak and fixing the valve were also evacuated. Some of the chemical leaked into the air outside the plant creating a visible cloud. The sheriff’s office said about 100 area residents were evacuated. All were allowed to return home by 10 p.m. The IBP Hazardous Mater-ials Team was able to stop the leak and contain most of the ammonia within the building, the sheriff’s office said. Law enforcement officials also checked cabins along the Iowa and Cedar rivers for occupants. The rivers converge near Columbus Junction and the meatpacking plant is located on the banks of the Iowa River, about 20 miles southwest of Muscatine. Mickelson said the plant would operate as scheduled today.

Two men injured during explosion
GREEN BAY — Two men were seriously hurt Tuesday after propane exploded while they were filling lift truck tanks at Georgia Pacific’s West Mill, 1919 S. Broadway. The tanks were stored outside and were separate from the trucks they fuel. The tanks were being filled by a propane delivery truck. One of the men, an employee of Ferrellgas, suffered partial-thickness burns and the other suffered blunt trauma injuries to his legs. Green Bay Fire Battalion Chief Mark Mandich said the leg injuries were thought to be caused by one of the tanks sent flying into a nearby building during the blast. Officials declined to identify the men hurt in the incident, citing pending notification of relatives A nursing supervisor at St. Vincent Hospital said the burn patient was flown to St. Mary’s Burn Center in Milwaukee. The other man was listed in serious condition late Tuesday. The Brown County Arson Task Force was called in to probe what sparked the blast. Their findings were not available late Tuesday. The blast was the second major incident at the mill in a week. A fire damaged between 50 and 60 large paper rolls — about 300 tons of paper — at the mill Sept. 4. There was little damage to the building, as sprinklers kept the fire under control. The fire was blamed on electrical/mechanical malfunction. Tuesday’s blast was in an outside yard area of the mill and there was no structural damage. “There was no smoke or fire when we got there,” Mandich said.

City worker injured in demolition accident 
From staff reports
A city worker escaped serious injury when the tractor he was operating crashed through the first floor and into the basement of an East Ninth Street house that was being demolished. Mike Brewer, 50 of Twyman Square, was temporarily trapped in the debris following the mishap at about 1 p.m. Thursday. According to a city police report, the tractor fell into the basement and then turned over on its left side. Brewer was wearing a lap belt, police said. He was taken to Jennie Stuart Medical Center in a city–county ambulance. He was released following treatment in the emergency room. According to witnesses, workers did not know there was a basement in the house.

Truck driver killed
by Teri Vance, Appeal Staff Writer 
A 60-year-old California truck driver was killed Wednesday when he was accidentally pinned between his tractor-trailer rig and the loading dock at Lowe’s home improvement store in Carson City. The name of the driver was not being released pending notification of family members. Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Saylo said the driver left his truck running to build up air pressure for the brakes and walked to the back of the trailer to tell loaders he was finished. The driver did not set the emergency brake and the truck rolled backward shortly before 9:48 a.m., Saylo said. The driver, who worked for McKelvey Trucking Co., tried to escape, but was pinned. Jaime Jasso, a driver for Border’s trucking company, had just arrived with his delivery of plants when he heard a Lowe’s employee yelling for help. “I heard somebody crying, ‘Come, hurry up. There’s somebody trapped behind the truck,'” Jasso said. “I ran around and the motor was on and I pulled up the truck.” Hoping to save the man’s life, Jasso carefully maneuvered the big rig. “I was very nervous because I knew if I moved it even a little bit back, it would kill him,” he said. But it was too late. “That’s really bad,” Jasso said. “What a terrible way to die — in an accident like that.” The driver was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy is scheduled for this morning.

Man hurt when skidder overturns
By RICHELLE BAILEY, Staff Writer
A Marion man was injured Tuesday when a skidder overturned on him during a logging operation. Jack Wilson, 56, of Lake Tahoma Road was transported by ambulance to Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville. A condition report was not available at presstime. McDowell County Emergency Services Director Carroll Hemphill said Wilson sustained head injuries but they were not life-threatening. Shortly after noon on Tuesday, a skidder overturned on Wilson during a logging operation on Catawba River Road in Old Fort, according to Hemphill. Jerry Wilson, the owner of the Catawba River Road property, was at his house when the accident occurred. “He works for a timber company. I sold him some timber, and he came to cut it,” Jerry Wilson stated. Jack Wilson’s employees told Jerry that the skidder flipped about six times. “One of the guys that works for him just came running up to the porch and told me to call 911,” said Jerry.

Man dies in farm accident
By JEFFERSON WEAVER, Staff Writer
A Lisbon man died Monday after being crushed in a farming accident. John Albert Monroe, of McKoy Road, Council, fell from a tobacco harvester around 1:30 p.m. and was crushed by a box off the machine. The box is a large metal container used to hold tobacco after it has been picked. The accident happened at the J.B. Priest Farm off Lisbon Road. Kenneth Clark of the Lisbon Fire Dept. First Responders unit said he was one of the first emergency personnel on the scene. “I knew it was bad as soon as we got there,” he said. Monroe was initially pinned under the box, Clark said, but another employee of the farm managed to get the box off Monroe before emergency officials arrived. Clark said he requested a helicopter from New Hanover Regional Medical Center to transport Monroe directly to Wilmington, but bad weather had grounded the aircraft. Monroe was transported to Bladen County Hospital, stabilized, and transferred to New Hanover Regional Hospital. Monroe died a short time later from internal injuries, according to a NHRMC spokesperson.

Man Killed By Forklift Identified
Overland Park, Kan., police have released the identy of a man killed in a construction accident last week. Pedro Cordoba, 25, died when a forklift tipped over on him at 141st Street and Garnett. Authorities did not release the man’s identity until late because they said that Cordoba was from Mexico, and it took some time to notify his relatives. 

Yates farmer dies in accident
By: GINA MUSCATO, Times Staff Writer 
MILO – A lifelong crop farmer was killed Wednesday morning while working on land along Route 14A. Richard H. Henderson Sr., 63, of 930 Leach Road, Penn Yan, apparently got off the backhoe he had been operating, and it continued moving forward over him, killing him instantly. Yates County Coroner Dr. John Tusch pronounced him dead at the scene. Yates County sheriff’s Inv. Mike Christensen said deputies were flagged down by a co-worker, who found Henderson at 7:50 a.m. at a field site near 2822 Route 14A. Henderson was apparently about to use a backhoe to move a large trailer and do some clean-up work around the site – which is about 11/2 miles south of Penn Yan, Christensen said. He also noted that it’s possible Henderson left the brake in gear when he got off the backhoe, and it moved forward; or he might have exited the backhoe with a chain to hook onto the trailer, which knocked it into gear. Henderson, who was born in Torrey, was a graduate of Penn Yan Academy. He was a member of the Milo Center United Methodist Church, the Yates County Farm Bureau and ProFac Agrilink Corp. He was a partner with his sons in Richard H. Henderson and Sons Farms.

City worker dies in sand sweeper accident 09/04/2002
Michael Fielding, Staff Writer September 04, 2002 
A 19-year employee of the city died Tuesday in an accident at the public works storage yard on Levee Road. Duane Domagala, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Jason Cloud. At about 12:30 p.m., Red Wing police and fire departments responded to the site. Domagala was dumping sand from the rear of a city street sweeper at the former city brush dump site. Unlike traditional sweepers, this one uses a vacuum mechanism to contain debris. It is the only one of its kind in the city, said Roger Seymour, director of employee services. Seymour said that Domagala, who was operating it alone, was caught between the hopper and the vacuum unit. No one witnessed the accident, and Domagala was found by a co-worker. Domagala’s death was the first of a city employee during work hours since two police officers were killed in the line of duty Jan. 15, 1907. Domagala also was a volunteer firefighter for 20 years. He joined the Public Works Department in 1983, one year after becoming a volunteer firefighter. The Minnesota Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating the accident. Domagala is survived by his wife, Susan, and his 3-year-old son, Ben.

Construction worker injured 
By M.K. Guetersloh, Pontiac bureau chief 
PONTIAC — A road construction worker is in serious condition at a Peoria hospital after being injured Tuesday in a work-related accident. State police said Bobbi J. Craver, 31, of Forrest was working in the northbound lanes of a construction zone about two miles south of Pontiac on Interstate 55 when she was hit by a motorized concrete saw. Fellow worker Elizabeth A. Anderson apparently lost control of the equipment. Craver was taken to OSF Saint James Hospital in Pontiac and was later transferred to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. After injuring Craver, the saw traveled through the median and into the southbound lanes of the interstate, where it hit two semitrailer-trucks. Anderson, 42, of Moline, and the truck drivers, Samuel L. Brown, 59, of Mangum, Okla., and Scott D. Clapp, 40 of Cabery, were not injured in the accident. Because of the accident, state police rerouted interstate traffic through Pontiac on Old Route 66 to Chenoa for about an hour. The accident remains under investigation by state police.

DRIVER SERIOUSLY HURT IN FORKLIFT-BUS CRASH 
A FORKLIFT vehicle driver suffered serious multiple injuries yesterday when he was trapped in his overturned cab following a road accident near roadside services at Turfhills, Kinross. The road was closed yesterday afternoon to allow accident investigators to examine the scene. The construction-style vehicle was leaving a field when the collision with a service bus occurred. The driver of the bus, a Firstbus service heading across Fife to St Andrews, sustained a hand injury but his three passengers were unhurt. The police, firefighters and two ambulances all attended the accident, which happened on the A977 Kincardine Bridge road just outside the town at around 12.15pm. The forklift driver was taken to Queen Margaret Hospital at Dunfermline, where his condition was said to be giving cause for concern. His injuries included abdominal, leg and possibly spinal injuries. A local doctor was called to assist paramedics as they moved the forklift driver on to a stretcher designed to protect his spine. Firefighters assisted at the scene by clearing the road and ensuring the vehicles were safe.

County worker injured after falling from truck
By Ron Strickland, Staff writer
A Jones County road worker is in South Central Regional Medical Center after falling off a Beat 1 truck Wednesday afternoon. According to Beat 1 road foreman Ransom Holloway, Robert L. Wade was thrown from a county owned truck after the vehicle made a left turn onto Highway 15 north off of Sherwood Lane. “The work crew was weed eating around mail boxes and sign post,” Holloway said. “The crewman ride in the back of the truck going from site to site. When the truck made the turn, (Wade) lost his balance and fell off of the truck.” Holloway added the accident would be a learning experience for his department. “We will make them ride in the cab (of the truck) if we have to prevent this (type of accident).” Shady Grove Volunteer Fire Department, Mississippi Highway Patrol, and Jones County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene during the busy noon hour. No citations were issued in the accident.

Forklift Overturns, Kills Man
A man was killed Thursday when a forklift overturned and crushed him, KMBC reported. It happened at a house under construction in Overland Park, Kan., near 141st Street and Quivira Road around 1:30 p.m. Investigators are looking into how the accident happened. The victim’s name has not been released.

Cameraman dies in forklift accident 
CARMEL, Calif. (AP) — A television cameraman died Tuesday in a forklift accident while taping the Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf exhibition between Fred Couples and Mark Calcavecchia. Brian Blodgett, a cameraman for all 42 of the Shell’s matches since they were revived in 1994, died while being taken to Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula. The cause of death was pending an autopsy. Blodgett, of Jacksonville, Fla., was 37. He is survived by his wife, Kelly. “Brian was a well-respected member of the golf community, and that extended family also shares deeply in this most tragic loss,” Gaylord Event Television president Frank Chirkinian said. Couples and Calcavecchia were playing the second hole at Santa Lucia Preserve when the forklift toppled, Gaylord spokeswoman Ann Victor said. She said the nature of his injuries was not immediately clear. The Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf series are 18-hole exhibitions played at exotic golf courses around the world. Taping of the Couples-Calcavecchia match was rescheduled. “Today, we have lost such a good friend and our hearts are too heavy for us to possibly go on,” said Jack Whitaker, host of the Shell’s matches.

UPDATE, Injured worker listed as ‘serious’
EAST HAVEN — A warehouse worker who was injured in a forklift accident Wednesday remained in serious condition Friday at Yale-New Haven Hospital, according to hospital officials. Police identified the patient Friday as Michael Driscoll, 45, of 500 Main St., Apt. 125. Driscoll had been on foot at the Town Fair Tire Center warehouse at 460 Coe Ave. when the accident happened, according to Sgt. Robert Flodquist. A forklift operator who didn’t see him backed into him, crushing him into a second forklift, police said. The accident remains under investigation by both East Haven police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Backhoe driver crushed to death
The Ottawa Citizen 
A 64-year-old Gatineau man was crushed to death when he fell out of the backhoe he was driving and was crushed to death. MRC des Collines police said they were called to a garbage dump in Val-des-Monts at 6 p.m. yesterday. The man, whose name has not been released, was later pronounced dead at hospital. The Commission de la santé et de la securité du travail, the Quebec agency responsible for workplace safety, is investigating the incident.

Warehouse worker crushed by forklift
EAST HAVEN — A warehouse worker at Town Fair Tire Center on Coe Avenue was seriously injured Wednesday after being crushed by a forklift, police said. Sgt. Robert Flodquist said the victim was on foot in the 460 Coe Ave. warehouse when a forklift operator who didn’t see him backed into him, crushing him into a second forklift. Police did not release the name of the victim, who was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital. His condition was not immediately available Wednesday. The accident remains under investigation by both East Haven police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Construction worker killed on job at airport
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — A construction worker died this afternoon at Cleveland Hopkins Airport when the vehicle he was operating flipped over. Airport officials say the 33-year-old male was working on a runway construction project when he was partially ejected from the vehicle, which rolled over the man. The victim was working on rerouting Abrams Creek to make room for the new runway. The construction vehicle he was operating, commonly known as a “moxie,” was used for hauling earth. The victim was an employee of Independence Excavating and was alone in the vehicle.

Dump Truck Crushes Worker
A construction worker was killed Monday when a fully-loaded dump truck ran over him, police said. The accident happened at the site of a road-widening project on Powerline Road in Deerfield Beach. The Broward County sheriff’s office information officer said that the man was killed instantly. The name of the man has not been released because authorities need to notify family members.

Man dies in tractor accident; Vehicle runs over him in Jefferson 
Dayton Daily News 
JEFFERSON TWP., Montgomery County | A Jefferson Twp. man died Sunday after a tractor he was driving pulling a Bush Hog mower ran over him. Wayne Nalls, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 9 a.m. accident. Montgomery County Coroner’s Investigator Wade Lawson said Nalls was mowing a ditch at his mother’s house at 6180 Derby Road when the accident happened. Nalls was going westbound in the ditch line. The tractor continued driverless across the road and over a ditch on the other side, through a hole in a fence and ended up against the fence line on the north side of the road.

Man hurt in afternoon tractor accident taken to hospital
By Democrat staff
A man was flown by helicopter to UC Davis Medical Centern after being involved in an industrial acident Thursday afternoon. According to Yolo County Sheriff’s Lt. Louie Pires, at about 12:26 p.m. officers were called out to the Rominger Farm at County roads 29 and 89 near Winters for a reported industrial acident. Pires added, the man, whose identity is not being released pending notification of relatives, was working on a large tractor when he somehow became pinned between a hydraulic arm and a tire. The man was reportedly alive when taken by helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center.

Man Injured in Fork Lift Accident 
Rockingham, Vermont 
A Springfield man was severely injured Tuesday when he was run over by a fork lift. Vermont State Police say Michael Montgomery, 54, was standing near his tractor trailer at Riverside Reload in Rockingham when he was struck by the fork lift and pinned underneath. Montgomery is listed in critical condition at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. 

Landscape worker struck by car, killed 
MEDFORD – A landscape company employee was killed last after being struck by a vehicle on Stokes Road shortly after 5 p.m., police said. Police said the employee was working on the side of Stokes Road near the Medford branch of the U.S. Post Office when the vehicle left the roadway and struck the victim. The name of the victim and information on whether the person in the vehicle was injured was not available late last night. A state police medical helicopter touched down near the crash site but it was not clear last night how many victims, if any, were flown from the accident scene. Police shut down a portion of Stokes Road during an investigation of the crash. Traffic was detoured around the crash scene for more than two hours last night. 

Worker killed by cement truck
By: KEITH PHUCAS, Times Herald Staff 
UPPER MERION – A man was struck and killed by a cement truck in a Route 202 construction zone near the King of Prussia mall Thursday morning, according to township police. The 34-year-old man, an employee of Structural Preservations Systems in Hawthorne, N.J., was hit by a truck owned by HYK Construction Company in Rahns, Pa., shortly before noon at the intersection of Route 202 and North Gulph Road. The man was pronounced dead at the scene by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. The victim’s name has not been released pending notification of next of kin. “The preliminary investigation points to it being an unfortunate accident,” said Upper Merion Police Lt. John Hellebush. The incident is under investigation by township police. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is working to widen the King of Prussia intersection where the incident occurred. The construction is part of a five-year $280 million project to improve five miles of Route 202 in Upper Merion and Tredyffrin townships. Gene Blaum, spokesman for PennDOT, said Structural Preservation Systems had been working to fill sinkholes at the accident site Thursday as it has done over the past two years along the Route 202 improvement zone. “The company was drilling holes to pump grout to fill the sinkholes,” Blaum said. Grout is a cement-like material. Since 2000, the company has done extensive work finding and filling sinkholes in the limestone bedrock where Route 202, Interstate 76 and U.S. Route 422 converge. The opening of six improved ramps in December 2001 was delayed four months because of the sinkhole operation. PennDOT has spent $17 million filling the crevices, some as deep as 70 feet, over the past two years. Currently, Blaum estimates that the agency has spent an additional $2 million on sinkholes at the site of Thursday’s fatality. In July 2001, laborer R. “Bobby” Boyle of Philadelphia was crushed under the wheels of a truck that he was directing through a partitioned section of the Route 202 zone near Route 252 in Tredyffrin.

Migrant worker killed in chicken farm accident 
MONTICELLO — A 19-year-old migrant worker died on a chicken farm in Lawrence County early Wednesday morning when a tractor accidentally ran over him. Juan Josea Becerra Becerra, an Alabama resident, died of massive head trauma around 5:15 a.m., according to Lawrence County deputy coroner Sidney Fortenberry. “(Becerra) was trying to catch chickens, and when he was down, the driver didn’t see him on the ground,” Fortenberry said. Hudson Farm, three miles west of Monticello, was a supplier to Sanderson Farms poultry company. Fortenberry said Becerra worked for a Sanderson Farms subcontractor that picks up chickens from farms and delivers them to Sanderson. “We were extremely saddened by it. He was a young man,” said Sanderson Farms chief financial officer Mike Cockrell. Becerra reportedly lived with a brother-in-law in Oxford, Ala.

Lambert woman dies in farming accident
Susie L. Vaira, a long-time Lambert resident, died Monday, Aug. 12 in a farm accident seven miles west of Lambert. She was 64. Vaira was married to Eddy Vaira and had nine children and 12 grandchildren. According to the Montana Highway Patrol, Susie Vaira was driving a Massey Ferguson tractor with a hay rake when it became stuck going up a hill. When she attempted to go back down, the hay rake jack-knifed, ejecting her and causing the tractor to roll to one side. As the tractor rolled back down, Vaira was trapped underneath. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities who responded to the scene included Montana Highway Patrol, Lambert Ambulance, Lambert Fire Department and Rescue, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Vaira’s funeral was held Friday at Pella Lutheran Church.

UPDATE, Injured worker upgraded
MONROE 
The forklift operator severely injured when a 2,200-pound concrete drain component landed on him was reported in serious condition Friday at Bridgeport Hospital. The Connecticut Pre-Cast Corp. employee’s legs were crushed Thursday morning when the casting of a double catch basin slipped out of its mold in the Fan Hill Road work yard. Thomas Erickson, 25, of Oxford suffered multiple fractures in both legs. His condition had worsened to critical Thursday night, but a hospital employee said it was upgraded to serious on Friday. Meanwhile, a state Occupation Safety and Health Administration official said its investigation of the accident is still in its early stages.

Miami construction worker dies when struck by road grater 
Associated Press 
MIAMI — A construction worker died Wednesday morning when he was run over by a road grater, Miami-Dade police said. The 36-year-old man, whose identity was not immediately released, was marking the road when the accident occurred on West Flagler St. around 8:30 a.m. The grater was backing up, striking and killing the man instantly, police said. The investigation was continuing, police said.

Work mishaps leave one dead, one burned
BY DAVID OVALLE
One man was killed and another severely burned Wednesday in two separate construction accidents in Miami-Dade County, fire and police spokesmen said. A construction worker was killed when a construction vehicle backed into him around 8:30 a.m. near the Mall of the Americas, Miami-Dade police said. Hours later, at 6809 Biscayne Blvd., another man burned more than half of his body after touching power lines and falling 10 feet, a Miami Fire-Rescue official said. He was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where officials said he was in critical condition and undergoing surgery. The first victim, a 39-year-old whose name was not released, was marking a road and did not notice the approaching road grader, a vehicle used to scrape away pavement, detective Lupo Jimenez said. The second victim was doing roof work on a two-story flower shop when he touched some power lines. As firefighters arrived and hunted for a way to scale the walls, the man fell 10 feet to a first-story roof landing. Firefighter Christian Guzmán was on the other side of the building when he heard gasps from a crowd of onlookers. He raced around, climbed a nearby fence and pulled the man away from the edge. Rescuers used one of the man’s company lift trucks to lower him. ”The top of his body was pretty badly burned, second-degree burns,” Guzmán said. “He was semiconscious, in and out.”

FIRE CREWS DEAL WITH DEPOT CHEMICAL SPILL 
Fire crews were called to a Devon town to deal with a spill of hydrochloric acid. Twenty-five litres of the chemical spilled into the road at Saunders Way, Cullompton, shortly before 11.50pm yesterday, said Devon Fire and Rescue Service. The accident happened as a drum was pierced as it was being loaded onto a lorry by a fork lift truck at the depot of Gregory Distribution Ltd. Firefighters washed down the are with water to make it safe.

Crews keep loader fire from spreading to logs
YREKA — A log loader at Timber Products in Yreka caught on fire Monday morning and threatened a log deck. The log loader was completely involved in flames when firefighters arrived. They were able to quickly douse the flames and prevent the adjacent log deck from burning. Mechanic Steve Nowdesha with Timber Products said the log loader operator had left the machine and was on a lunch break when the fire started. During the break, another employee noticed that the loader was on fire. Employees attached a hose to the company’s water tender and started fighting the fire. When the Yreka Fire Department and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection engines arrived on scene, the radio report indicated that the log loader was fully involved in flames. Timber Products general manager Pete Himmel said the company was assisted by the road construction crew working on Phillipe Lane. “We had a good response from our neighbors,” Himmel said. In the official report of the incident, Himmel said the preliminary investigation of the fire points to a failed link between the muffler and turbo as the origin of the fire. He said the mechanical failure apparently allowed hot gasses to blow into the engine compartment starting the fire. Plant superintendent Mike Williamson said the investigation is not complete and there are several possible causes of the fire. He said it is very possible the fire could have been put out by the operator if he had been on the equipment when the fire started. Himmel said the representatives from Caterpillar will be evaluating the damage to the machine to determine if it is restorable. Nowdesha said the log loader is a 1988 model. It was purchased by Timber Products used and had been in operation in Yreka for the last four years. He estimated the value of the used machine at $100,000. The cost of a new one is about $500,000.

UPDATE, Caledonian Brewery fined for workplace fatal accident
Caledonian Brewery of Edinburgh has been fined £10,000 for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act in the circumstances of a forklift truck fatal accident recorded on CCTV footage. The company pleaded guilty before Sheriff Douglas Allan. Robert Baxter, 52, was unloading empty beer kegs from a lorry. The forklift truck he was operating overturned as he unloaded the empty beer kegs, trapping him. Mr Baxter later died from crush injuries after being trapped for 30 minutes. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that Caledonian Brewery had not implemented a safe system of work for the activity of loading and unloading beer kegs from lorries. The operators did not have the benefit of a formal risk assessment. Several factors contributed to the accident – the forklift became unstable when the lorry moved, at the request of another driver, while the forklift’s clamps were engaged in the lorry’s load. Liz Paton, Fiscal, for the HSE, said the steep slope of the unloading area (between 5°and 9°) was a key factor, this being well in excess of the recommended slope for truck operations. Ms Paton said: “Drivers were encouraged to stop with both rear wheels on a small flat section in the middle of the slope.” The matter of slope as a hazard to operators was an issue raised previously with management. She also noted that Mr Baxter had not been wearing a seatbelt provided with the forklift truck. In the opinion of Sheriff Allan the system of work at the brewery was unsatisfactory and concluded that slope was not the major cause of the accident.

Three Firefighters Hurt in Calif. as Engine Rolls Down Embankment
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A fire engine plummeted 60 feet down a freeway embankment, injuring three firefighters taking on one of the blazes that have charred more than 180,000 acres across the state. The accident Sunday occurred when the fire engine’s drive train malfunctioned, said Highway Patrol Officer Karen Faciane. With its siren blaring and lights flashing, it veered across three southbound lanes of Interstate 15 and rolled down an embankment, officials said. The driver was in critical condition with a broken pelvis and the two other firefighters had moderate injuries, Faciane said. The firefighters were traveling to a blaze in Calimesa, Calif., about 30 miles west of Palm Springs, that had torn across 500 acres by early Monday morning. The blaze, which was 10 percent contained, damaged a garage but had not destroyed any homes, said Michelle McClelland, a spokeswoman with the California Department of Forestry. In Oregon, hot, dry and windy weather was moving into southwest Oregon, where firefighters battled the state’s largest wildfire in more than a century. The fire, which had burned nearly 376,500 acres by Monday morning, was threatening power lines that supply several northern California towns including Crescent City. Full containment for the section of the fire south of the California state line was expected by Thursday. The rest of the fire was only about 25 percent contained. During the weekend, crews created three or four fire lines in front of the flames west of O’Brien, Ore., but said they would have to ask Pacific Power to shut down the power lines if the wildfire got too close. Heavy smoke can create short circuits, producing electrical arcs that could endanger firefighters. In southern California’s eastern San Diego County, a 62,000-acre wildfire that started two weeks ago and had destroyed dozens of homes was 85 percent contained. Full containment was expected Monday evening instead of Sunday as previously predicted, said Forestry Department spokeswoman Audrey Hagen. 

2 hurt working on T rail tracks
By Corey Dade, Globe Staff, 8/12/2002
Two construction workers replacing rail tracks yesterday in Brighton were injured, one seriously, after being hit by heavy equipment. One worker suffered a serious leg injury after being caught under a track sander on the Commonwealth Avenue spur of the MBTA about 11:30 a.m., according to witnesses and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials. The other suffered minor facial injuries. MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera identified the workers as Charles Andrews and Willie Davis Jr., both of whom were taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Traffic was diverted from the area for hours as police and T personnel examined the scene, where the huge sander, which rolls along the railway, was left tilted to one side off the track. Across the street, merchants and passersby stood on the sidewalk exchanging stories about what happened. Lee Goldman, who was browsing for antiques at the American Family Thrift & Donation Center, heard the screams first. ”We heard all this commotion. All the workers were running. It was bedlam,” Goldman said. ”You knew there was somebody under there because you could tell by the reactions of the workers.” officials had no immediate comment on the cause of the accident. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Elberton man dies from injuries
By Nicholas Charalambous, Anderson Independent-Mail
AUGUSTA — Otis Childs, who rose from a stone cutter to become the owner of one of Elberton’s largest granite companies, died Sunday night. He was 67. The retired owner of Childs and Childs Granite Co. died about 7:20 p.m. at the Medical College of Georgia Health System in Augusta, hospital spokeswoman Danielle Wong said. Mr. Childs had been hospitalized in critical condition since a Friday morning accident at The Granite Source, his son Robin’s business. Mr. Childs had been helping to move crates containing granite slabs from a tractor-trailer container into a warehouse with a forklift truck when a stack fell on him. He was pinned him between the trailer and the crates and suffered serious head and body injuries. Tributes poured in Sunday night from fellow granite company executives who said he was a well-respected member of the community and an excellent businessman. He was a former Elbert County Commissioner and a past president of the Elberton Granite Association. Bill Kelly, a 77-year-old former executive vice president of the association who knew Mr. Childs for 25 years, said Mr. Childs was one of the leaders in the industry locally. “The whole community had been expecting some news, but we were hoping it would be for the best,” he said. “He was a fine fellow and he will be missed.” Henry Drennan, who witnessed the accident, was one of several employees of the Granite Source who had traveled to Augusta to visit with Mr. Childs Saturday as he clung to life in the intensive care unit. He said all his family members, including his two sons, Tim and Robin, held vigil at his bedside. “I’m shocked,” he said. “ I worked with him for 12 years. He was a great man.” Elliot Paul, 59, owner of Eagle Granite Co., said Mr. Child’s death will be felt by the whole community. “He was a real popular guy. In a little town like Elberton everybody knows everybody,” he said. “It was a terrible tragedy.” Mr. Kelly said Mr. Childs was a classic entrepreneur. He started out in the granite business as a stone cutter and went on to found his company, Childs and Childs. The company included a plant and some granite quarries and was one of the larger ones in Elbert County, employing as many as 50 to 60 people. Mr. Childs ended up merging Childs and Childs with one of the largest granite companies in the nation, Vermont-based Rock of Ages, only to take it back again after the deal didn’t work out. He sold the company a second time before retiring, Mr. Kelly said. Mr. Childs remained involved with his son’s business and was physically strong and active, despite having a pacemaker fitted for a heart condition, he said. “He was a person who pulled himself up by his own bootstraps,” Mr. Kelly said. Funeral arrangements were unavailable Sunday.

Forklift fire 
Clinton District volunteer firefighter Nathan Summers hoses down a 300,000-pound capacity forklift that overheated and caught fire while traveling up a hill on Goshen Road Thursday afternoon. The driver of the forklift, Morgantown Machine and Hydraulic employee Jim Bays said he was able to get off the vehicle without getting hurt. The forklift weighs about 10 tons, he said. Triune-Halleck Volunteer Fire Department also responded.

Forklift fire spurs evacuation of plant
MILFORD — Connecticut Stone Supply was evacuated Tuesday morning after a forklift with an attached propane tank caught fire. Fire Capt. Richard Mohr said the fire began at 10:23 a.m. at the 138 Woodmont Road industrial plant. The fire was contained quickly and no one was injured.

Deputy wrecks patrol car, OK
Lake City Reporter, From staff reports 
A Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputy received minor injuries Sunday night when he wrecked his patrol car on County Road 25-A while responding to a call, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Reports say Deputy John Jewett IV was on his way to back up another deputy responding to a burglary in progress call at 10:37 p.m. As Jewett approached a curve on County Road 25-A, just east of U.S. 41, glare from an oncoming vehicle in fog caused him to drive off the east shoulder and into a railroad crossing sign. The patrol car then spun and flipped 11Ž2 times, landing on its roof, reports say. Jewett was taken to Shands at Lake Shore Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released. The patrol car had $6,000 in damage.

UPDATE, Brewer fined after forklift death 
The Caledonian Brewing Company has been fined £10,000 after an accident which resulted in the death of a forklift truck driver. The company admitted breaching health and safety regulations at its Slateford Road headquarters between September 1998 and February 2001. The charge stated that it failed to ensure the system where forklift trucks load beer kegs onto vehicles was safe. Driver Robert Baxter, from Edinburgh, died after his vehicle toppled over at the brewery in February last year.

Taupo man dies in workplace tractor accident 
An investigation has been launched after the death of a Taupo man in a workplace accident yesterday. Matthew James Phillip Cooper, 22, died after a tractor accident in a Miro St business, Senior Sergeant Andy Warne of Taupo police said in a statement today. Mr Warne said that about 2.20pm yesterday Mr Cooper was discovered trapped under a tractor he had been using to shift machinery. He was taken to Taupo Hospital but died shortly afterwards. Occupational Safety and Health staff were today investigating the accident and the coroner had been notified, Mr Warne said.

Orange County jail inmate killed in construction accident
News-Journal wire services
ORLANDO — An Orange County jail inmate in a work-release program died Tuesday when a dump truck backed over him at a construction site. Westley Shawn Vanderlay, 39, of Oakland, was pronounced dead at the scene after the truck’s right rear tires rolled over his torso, Orlando Police Sgt. Gary Hayes said. DeWitt Excavating Inc. is working on the site, which is near Millennium Plaza. A message left at DeWitt after business hours Tuesday was not immediately returned. Hayes said the death was being treated as an industrial accident. The Medical Examiner’s Office, OSHA and Orlando police are investigating. Police also did not identify the truck’s driver. Vanderlay had been convicted for driving under the influence and driving with a permanently revoked license. He was scheduled to be released on Dec. 14, jail officials said.