Summary Case Report: A 37-year-old semi-truck driver was driving on an interstate highway at 4:40 am. He had pulled onto the right shoulder and was outside the truck at the left rear apparently checking the brakes for a possible fire. A second semi-truck came from behind and struck the first truck on the left side, killing the victim and dragging him down the highway. The second truck trailer overturned with the victim underneath it.

Summary Case Report: A 48-year-old farmer was moving grain on a neighbor's farm. He was working with a power take off unit (PTO) connecting a tractor and a grain wagon, when he got caught up in the PTO, which was unshielded. He was found dead at the scene. All his clothing was entangled in the PTO. He was found underneath the PTO: his right arm had been torn off at the shoulder.

Summary Case Report: A 43-year-old welder was one of two men working on the side of a high-rise building, 19 stories high. Both men were suspended in separate metal work cages suspended by 1/2 inch cable. Apparently the electrical wire feeding the victim's arc welder shorted out and arced to the adjacent steel cable and melted the cable sending the cage and the worker to the ground. The victim's harness and lifeline were sheared off in the fall.
Full Report with Photo & Diagram

Summary Case Report: A 44 year-old independent truck driver was loading a new hydraulic road grader onto a flat bed "belly trailer" for delivery to customer. The road grader was backed onto the trailer and the victim was in process of securing the grader with chains. He was working alone. He was found pinned between the right rear tire of grader and the sidewall of trailer – asphyxiated. Victim was obese and apparently slipped and wedged himself in the space between the wheel and the sidewall.

Summary Case Report: A 41-year-old truck driver for an excavating crew was driving a large dump truck along a roadside terrace. After coming down a hill he failed to maneuver a turn and went straight off the terrace and overturned the truck. He was thrown from the truck and was crushed under one of the wheels and died instantly. Brake failure has been ruled out. He was reportedly "driving erratic that day" for an unknown reason. All medical tests were negative.

Summary Case Report: A 45-year-old construction worker was part of a safety crew sent to secure a hole in the roof of a new hotel. He apparently slipped and fell through the hole to the concrete surface of a floor 20 ft. Below him. He received massive head and chest injuries and was flown by helicopter to a regional hospital where he died. His wife had filed for divorce the day before his death.

Summary Case Report: A 33-year-old worker for a construction company was helping to erect a steel building in the winter. He was standing on steel roof beams 25 ft. High welding steel bridging between steel roof joists. He was wearing a safety belt and lanyard. He unhooked himself to reposition for another weld and slipped off the roof beam, hitting his head on the joist. He fell motionless to the frozen ground and received fatal head injuries.

Summary Case Report: A 26-year-old man was helping a co-worker bury sewer pipes in a 10 ft. Trench. They were using a backhoe and a 20 ft. Steel safety box in the trench. They were trying to pry up a slab of concrete with the backhoe scoop when it slipped sideways. Momentum of the scoop pinned the victim to the side of the trench box causing massive internal injuries and he died 1 hour later. The backhoe did not malfunction. The man was in a dangerous position between the scoop and the trench box.
Full Report with Diagram

Summary Case Report: A 61-year-old farmer was helping to unload corn into a truck from an overhead corn bin. He was shoveling shelled corn off a ledge inside the bin when he apparently slipped and fell into the corn. He suffered a heart attack trying to get out, but died of asphyxiation, according to coroner's report. He was alone in the bin at the time, with an assistant working outside. He became engulfed in the moving grain and was not discovered until the flow of grain stopped.

Summary Case Report: A 30-year-old semi-truck driver was hauling tanker of anhydrous ammonia to distribution site for an agricultural fertilizer company. He lost control of his truck while rounding a downhill curve on a primary road and hit a rock bluff and tipped over on its side, rupturing the large ammonia tank. The truck was immediately engulfed in ammonia fumes which continued for 2 more days. The man died quickly from asphyxiation inside the cab.

Summary Case Report: A 61-year-old farmer was using a tractor with front end loader to push down a tree that had partially blown down last winter. Using the loader bucket he pushed on the tree, it came loose from its base and fell towards the tractor, knocking the man backwards off his tractor seat. The man received massive internal chest injuries and died within a few minutes. His son saw the accident and called the ambulance.

Summary Case Report: A 50-year-old male farmer was filling in dirt along a creek bank using a skid-steer loader. The loader got too close to the edge and rolled completely over landing upright in the creek bed. The farmer remained partially in the loader seat but received massive head injuries when the loader overturned. The protective top of the machine had been removed by the victim to accommodate short ceilings in hog buildings were the machine was used.
Full Report with Photos

Summary Case Report: A 43-year-old worker for a commercial grain facility was working inside a bin of soybeans while the beans were being unloaded into a rail car. The man became entrapped in the moving grain and suffocated before being rescued 90 minutes later. The man was apparently "walking down the beans" when the vortex of flowing grain toward the center engulfed him. Supervisors were uncertain if company procedures were followed.

Summary Case Report: Victim was a 46-year-old airplane pilot, one of three men killed while flying a twin engine airplane. They were flying in a snow storm and using an IFR flight plan. Pilot had reported an engine problem to tower minutes before impact into a farm hillside. Earlier in the day the pilot had reported a problem with "fluctuating oil pressure," but landed without difficulty.

Summary Case Report: Victim was a 52-year-old male passenger, one of three men killed while flying in a twin-engine airplane. They were flying in a snow storm and using an IFR flight plan. Pilot had reported an engine problem just minutes before impact into a farm hillside. Earlier in the day he had reported "fluctuating oil pressure", but had landed without difficulty.

Summary Case Report: Victim was a 55-year-old male passenger, one of three men killed while flying in a twin-engine airplane. They were flying in a snowstorm and using an IFR flight plan. The pilot had reported an engine problem just minutes before impact into a farm hillside. Earlier in the day the pilot reported "fluctuating oil pressure", but managed to land the airplane without difficulty.

Summary Case Report: A 48-year-old personnel director for a retail food chain was driving his personal car enroute to a new store opening in another city. He was driving on a hard-surfaced secondary road and failed to yield at a stop sign to a van approaching on a primary highway. He was hit on the drivers side and was killed immediately from multiple injuries.

Summary Case Report: A 57-year-old orchard manager was using an aluminum extension ladder to fix a broken overhead door in a warehouse area. The ladder was not extended since he was up only 8 feet. He was using a pry bar, got frustrated, and jerked too hard and lost his balance falling backwards to the concrete floor breaking his back and wrist. While in the hospital he developed a blood clot and died from pulmonary embolism.

Summary Case Report: A 65-year-old pastor for a Methodist church was driving home from a hospital visit to Des Moines. He apparently fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the center line colliding head on with another car. Both he and the other driver were killed instantly. He was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Summary Case Report: A 69-year-old farmer and ascs manager was burning off a field of grass on his farm. He had disked around the field to limit fire, yet it spread to waterways. He caught himself on fire trying to put it out. The man drove his tractor to a road for help, but had acquired serious burns on his lower extremities and arms. Hospital treatment involved several amputations which had complications. He died 25 days later in the hospital.

Summary Case Report: A 35-year-old highway construction worker was part of a crew using a grinding machine on an interstate highway, scraping off re-routing marks from the pavement. Driver of a car did not see flagger and continued driving in the left lane---hit worker from behind. He was killed instantly. Driver did not know she had hit anyone. She was returning from eye treatment at a regional hospital and her eyes were dilated.

Summary Case Report: A 43-year-old white male cabdriver was found dead sitting in his taxi from multiple gunshot wounds. Neighbors had heard the shots and called local police. The rear doors of cab were open. Victim was shot by .22 and .38 caliber handguns, six times to head, neck, and shoulders.

Summary Case Report: A 41-year-old front-end loader operator for a gravel pit was cleaning rock off a 30" rubber conveyor belt that had stalled. A co-worker warned him when he was about to restart the belt from a remote location, but the victim was still trying to clean the belt. When the belt started, he fell down on the belt, rode 150 ft. And died from asphyxiation after being pinned under a motor bracket. The man weighed 350 lbs. And was unable to get up easily or jump off the belt.
Full Report with Photos

Summary Case Report: A 44-year-old signal maintenance worker for a freight railroad was checking signal lines that were damaged from a storm. He was working alone on top of a wooden pole when he was electrocuted from the 575 volt signal wires. He had been doing this kind of work for over 20 years. He was found hanging on the wires by the engineer of a passing train. His upper chest and arms showed burns from the wires.

Summary Case Report: A 69-year-old cemetery worker was adjusting the position of a large gravestone when the headstone toppled over onto him, crushing his chest and pushing his face down in the dirt. The stone weighed over 500 lbs. and killed him instantly without signs of struggle. He was using a jack in a hole dug under the gravestone to level it. No autopsy was performed.

Summary Case Report: A 75-year-old active farm laborer was helping to load cattle when they got loose. He was helping to round them up when a heifer butted him over, causing him to hit his head on the concrete pavement. Victim was knocked unconscious, taken to local hospital, then by air to regional hospital. He had intracranial hemorrhage and skull fracture, and died one week later.

Summary Case Report: A 20-year-old construction laborer was doing heavy work (digging) in 90 degree weather for six hours, then sat down in the shade to rest. He began feeling poorly and gradually grew unresponsive, even though he was doused with water. He was taken to a local hospital with temperature of 112 F. He was flown to a regional hospital where he died.

Summary Case Report: A 71-year-old farmer was in process of feeding his cattle using a tractor, placing large hay bales into bale rings. He was working alone. From visible wounds it appears he stood up to dismount the tractor, caught his pliers pocket on a tractor knob, lost his footing, and fell head first off the back of the tractor causing fatal skull fracture. He was found dead lying on the ground, with tractor running, in neutral gear.

Summary Case Report: A 50-year-old farmer was working on a baler in a field when it, the tractor, and the wagon rolled down a hill into a farm pond. The victim and others tried unsuccessfully to unhook the baler which was partly under water. After the last attempt, the victim went swimming and immediately went under himself. Friends pulled him out and began CPR while others called 911.

Summary Case Report: A 55-year-old farmer had been planting corn with a typical row planter. The inside wheel on the right side was flat and he was trying to fix the flat. He loosened the bolt on the tire but could not get it off. He then loosened the hydraulic coupling to the cylinder for that wheel, hoping it would relieve pressure on the wheel, but fluid shot out and the right side of the planter fell on the man and crushed him. He did not use the hydraulic safety catch before he began work.
Full Report with Photos

Summary Case Report: A 67-year-old man was helping his son-in-law do farm chores. He was driving an older tricycle-type tractor with bale hooks on the rear. He was on the right side of a highway waiting to turn left into a farm driveway. During his turn a car crested a hill and slammed on brakes to avoid the tractor. The victim was distracted and oversteered, causing the tractor to miss the farm lane. He entered a ditch to the left of the lane, overturning the tractor. The tractor was not equipped with ROPS.
Full Report with Photos

Summary Case Report: A 40-year-old farm laborer was found dead seated in a vehicle located in a farmyard of where he worked. He was killed from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head from a hunting rifle.

Summary Case Report: A 54-year-old semi-trailer driver was driving a federal express truck down a two lane primary highway when he encountered windy and slick conditions. His rig jackknifed sending trailer into the other lane and his tractor went into the ditch. The driver was killed instantly from severe head injuries. No autopsy was indicated.

Summary Case Report: A 66-year-old farmer was using a tractor mowing a ditch along a highway using a rear mount mower as well as a sickle. He overturned on the grade of the ditch and pinned himself under the tractor. The tractor was lifted by EMS and he was removed, still conscious and talking. While being prepped for transfer by air care, he had a cardiac arrest in the ambulance. He died later from multiple internal injuries. No ROPS was on the tractor.

Summary Case Report: A 62-year-old worker for a roofing contractor was repairing a roof for a building at a scrap metal company when a concrete panel he was standing on gave way and he fell 35 feet to the ground below. The man was dead at the scene from head injuries.

Summary Case Report: A 31-year-old sculptor was working at night at his father's place of business talking to a business associate on the phone. A plain-clothed policeman suspected a robbery in progress and called two others to assist him. One officer opened the door where the man was and without warning shot the man dead at a range of 5-7 feet. Evidently the officer was startled when he opened the door or thought the phone was a gun.

Summary Case Report: A 38-year-old school principal also was a landlord for an apartment complex. While serving an eviction notice to one of his tenants, he became involved in a dispute and was stabbed twice in the back by another tenant. He drove himself to a gas station where he collapsed. He was dead on arrival at a local hospital. The tenant was an ex-marine, and had been recently fired by the victim as maintenance man for the apartment complex.

Summary Case Report: A 25-year-old 7th-step apprentice lineman was working alone in an aerial bucket for an electrical contractor. He was relocating power lines for a utility company. He was done with assigned duties and acknowledged that he was to leave the area before power was turned back on. He continued working on unassigned duties and was electrocuted from back feed when he touched power lines. He was wearing protective gloves and sleeves.

Summary Case Report: A 69-year-old male was doing custom bulldozer work for a friend digging a farm pond. His bulldozer became stuck in the mud and he was trying to dig out his machine. A partial cave in occurred and the bulldozer apparently shifted downhill. The man became buried in mud up to his chest level. He was found with his back to the bulldozer and buried in mud. Efforts to revive him failed. He died in the hospital.

Summary Case Report: A 56-year-old farmer was cutting weeds in a ditch when he rolled his tractor on top of himself. He was killed instantly, but was not found until 2-3 hours later by his wife.

Summary Case Report: A 66-year-old crane operator was moving dirt for a dam construction project when his 40 ton crane tipped over. The man was very experienced, yet apparently over-boomed to cause the tip-over. He may have had a heart attack to cause this. He fell or jumped out of the cab but was caught by the falling boom. He was killed instantly.

Summary Case Report: A 46-year-old part-time flight instructor was one of two pilots flying in a kit-built experimental single engine plane. Shortly after takeoff the plane had trouble gaining altitude and went down and crashed in a cornfield. The survivor was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Both men had access to the plane's controls. Weather or lack of fuel were not factors.

Summary Case Report: A 35-year-old laborer for an asphalt paving crew was working with a road widening machine. The machine is designed for one operator only, but he chose to ride the machine to another area rather than walk back. This was clearly against company safety policies. He fell off the machine and his left leg and pelvis were run over by the machine. He died later in the hospital from medical complications. Full Report with Photo

Summary Case Report: A 38-year-old Amish farmer was leading a young team of Belgium horses pulling a wagonload of fresh hay into the farmyard. For an unknown reason, the horses spooked and lunged forward, knocking the victim against a gate which then gave way. The horses then dragged the man into the barnyard where he was trampled by the horses and run over by the wagon. He suffered fatal internal injuries and died at the scene.

Summary Case Report: A 38-year-old construction laborer was helping to erect a new fire station. Several metal rafters were standing in place on top of a new wall 10-12 feet high. A wall support gave way, sending all the rafters to the ground in a domino effect. The victim was standing underneath when this happened and was hit in the face with one of the rafters. He was killed instantly.

Summary Case Report: A 80-year-old farmer was using an older tricycle tractor with a front-end loader to fill in dirt while putting in a new fence on his farm. He was working horizontally on a hillside when the tractor rolled 180 degrees crushing him underneath. The tractor had no ROPS. The man was killed instantly. Incident was unwitnessed.

Summary Case Report: A 80-year-old farmer was using an older tractor equipped with a 3-point hitch. He was frail and used the hitch to raise and lower himself into the tractor seat. Event was unwitnessed, but apparently the man slipped off the hitch while dismounting the tractor and was pinned by his ankle to a woodpile. He attempted to free himself in many ways, but was unable. He was found 3 days later by a tenant, dead from exposure.

Summary Case Report: A 74-year-old farmer was using an older tricycle type tractor to pull out bushes. Event was unwitnessed. He was found 50 yards from where he was working, tractor had gone on by itself another 200 yards. Tractor had a hand clutch and a front-end loader. Apparently the man fell off the tractor and was dragged on the ground suffering severe head and chest injuries. He died in the hospital ten days later.

Summary Case Report: A 51-year-old farmer's wife was helping her husband and son construct a new house on their farm. Mother and son were standing between the tractor loader bucket and the house foundation holding down drainage tiling while the son filled in with gravel from the bucket. When the husband raised the front-end bucket to dump the load, they became pinned to the wall. Farmer suspects brake failure, but diagram shows other factors. Mother died of ruptured aorta.
Full Report / Photo / Diagram

Summary Case Report: A 44-year-old construction worker was helping to remove a concrete slab foundation wall from a house being remodeled. Slab was 9 ft. Tall by 6 ft. Wide by 16 inches thick. They had a skid-steer loader attached to the wall by a chain trying to pull it down. Victim was standing on the chain side of the wall when it suddenly broke free and fell on him. He was killed instantly from massive internal injuries.