2002 Fatality Summaries

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA01	1-6-02	5812	821	966	pizza deliveryman

Summary Case Report: -- 31 year old pizza delivery man was making a delivery at an apartment building where he was brutally attacked, and stabbed by two individuals who ordered the pizza. The body was found in the apartment by Police, and the residents of the apartment were caught a few blocks away. Both criminals were charged and convicted of first degree murder.

Summary Case Report: -- 44 year old truckdriver was operating a newer semi truck down I-80 when apparently his front steering rod failed causing the truck to go off an embankment and crash into a culvert. The driver was thrown from the cab and killed.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA03	2-8-02	1541	642	9192	construction worker

Summary Case Report: -- 39 year old construction worker with 15 years experience was killed when a load of concrete forms fell from a tower crane and struck him as he was working on the ground. Apparently, the nylon choker twisted out of the hook.
(Full Report Available)

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA04	4-6-02	0191	551	894	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 77 year old farmer was using an acetylene torch while repairing a front-end loader in a barn. He was wearing overalls which were very dirty with oil and gasoline. His clothing caught on fire and he ran to a pump house to find some water. The pump house caught on fire and the man was found dead in the doorway with much of his clothing burnt off. He died from thermal injuries.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA05	3-22-02	1711	682	917	sheet metal worker

Summary Case Report: -- 34 year old sheet metal worker was found almost unconscious next to his work truck at a job site at the end of the day. He had been working on a ventilation system for a high school industrial shop classroom. His ladder was put away and all tools were put away when he was found. He told paramedics that he had bumped his head, but did not state when or how before he blacked out. He never recovered and died from blunt head trauma. Many assume he fell off his ladder, but there was no evidence for that. He had been complaining of severe headaches days before his death, which suggests he may have injured himself earlier in the week.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA06	4-19-02	741	562	9530	veterinary technician

Summary Case Report: -- 30 year old veterinary technician was found hanging by a lead rope in a horse barn at a veterinary clinic where he worked. He had a history of attempted suicide the year before.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA07	3-19-02	0191	551	9190	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 71 year old farmer was moving a round bale of hay with a tractor equipped with a hay fork attached to the rear. He got off the tractor to take the net off the bale and the tractor rolled backwards down the slight slope and rolled over him, killing him instantly. Apparently he did not have the tractor fully in park.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA08	4-7-02	2075	872	8810	grain handler

Summary Case Report: -- 45 year old material handler for a soybean processing plant was working in a truck loading area, cleaning an air duct. He was working alone with a 10-foot step ladder, when he fell off the ladder to the concrete floor below, sustaining fatal head injuries. He was not close to the top of the ladder when he fell.

Summary Case Report: -- 55 year old truck driver was driving a loaded semi-trailer on a 2-lane state highway when he collided with a car from the opposite direction. The truck went into the right lane, overturned and immediately burst into flames. The driver died inside the cab.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA10	1-12-02	0191	551	916	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 53 year old farmer was cutting down trees with his brother, to be used for firewood. The victim was trimming a large tree that had fallen on the ground, cutting off a large branch at the base by the truck. Suddenly the tree rolled toward him, pinning him to the ground. He died from crushing chest and abdominal injuries.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA11	4-20-02	0191	561	9190	farmwife

Summary Case Report: -- 64 year old farmwife was helping her husband pull some trees out of a fence line with a tractor. She was behind the tractor hooking up a chain when the tractor suddenly lurched backwards running over her. Her husband could not move the tractor because a pin in the clutch linkage had broken.

Summary Case Report: -- 49 year old man was working for a contractor using an accordian-type forklift. The type of work is unknown at this time. Another man was evidently helping the victim, possibly a building custodian. For an unknown reason, the victim stuck his head between the arms of the lift, and it came down on his head causing fatal injuries.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA13	3-28-02	5083	505	917	tractor mechanic

Summary Case Report: -- 61 year old mechanic at a farm equipment company was filling a large tractor trailer tire with air when the tire blew up. The tire was laying on the ground when the sidewall failed, and the blast of air hit the victim in the face, breaking his neck. The tire was a typical recapped tire, with normal operating pressure of 90-100 PSI.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA14	5-11-02	0241	551	9068	dairy farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 50 year old dairy farmer was helping a newborn calf get free from being stuck in the mud just after it was born. The mother cow struck the man from behind, causing severe internal injuries and bleeding. The man called his mother on the telephone, who called 911, but he was found dead when rescue arrived.

Summary Case Report: -- 59 year old private contractor was working in a mobile home, re-wiring an electric water heater. The trailer had several areas of faulty electrical wiring. While working his right hand came in contact with an exposed 220 volt line at a junction box and the man was electrocuted.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA16	4-30-02	1541	646	916	construction worker

Summary Case Report: -- 41 year old construction worker was with a crew building concrete walls for a new hog building, the walls for the new manure pit. In the evening, the crew were removing wooden forms for concrete walls that had been poured earlier in the day, at least 8 hours before. The concrete was not fully set on one wall which was 11 tall, and the wall collapsed, toppling another wall, and pinning the victim against a third wall.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA17	10-31-2001	291	551	8210	cattle farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 64 year old cattle farmer was driving an ATV checking his cattle when he apparently lost control of the machine and was thrown off. He suffered closed head injuries and died a few hours later.

Summary Case Report: -- 48 year old self-employed concrete construction worker was working by himself to load / unload a gas tank from a heavy flat trailer. He was using a tractor equipped with a front-end bucket and rear blade. The man was found crushed between the tractor tire and the frame of the trailer. The tractor was turned on but not running, with the bucket in a raised position. Everything on the tractor was operable, so the exact cause of this fatality remains unknown.

Summary Case Report: -- 87 year old farmer was burning brush and limbs, clearing an area that had recently been harvested of trees. He caught his pants on fire and sustained severe burns on his lower legs which required skin grafting. While in the hospital he deteriorated and died one month later.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA20	7-2-02	0191	551	8210	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 73 year old farmer was driving an ATV spraying thistles along a creek bed and ditch on his property. After not returning home, his wife sent authorities searching for him. He was found dead under the overturned ATV, which had rolled on top of him into the creek bed.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA21	6-11-02	0212	551	954	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 52 year old farmer was found dead in a creek bed in only 1-2 feet of water. His pick-up truck was parked nearby. There was nothing suspicious at the scene, nor signs of struggle, and authorities suspect suicide. The cause of death was drowning. The man was under significant stress, and suicide seems likely, although circumstances are very unusual for this.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA22	5-21-02	0191	551	9190	farmers

Summary Case Report: -- 70 year old farmer was plowing a field with an old tractor when the tractor stalled. A 61 year old friend came to help him, bringing fuel filters and starter fluid to get the machine going again. The old tractor needed to be jump-started, and both men were standing on the ground next to the engine. The tractor was thought to be in neutral, but was in gear, so when it started, it lurched forward and ran over both men, killing them instantly. The tractor continued plowing forward for another quarter mile until it ran across a road, where it was found by the state patrol.

Summary Case Report: -- 28 year old worker for a sign / advertising company was on a truck extension ladder, working on a new sign for an auto company. Suddenly, the cable controlling the ladder broke, and the ladder collapsed back towards the truck. The man fell approximately 30 feet and landed on pavement, killed instantly from multiple internal injuries. He was wearing a harness, which was apparently not attached to the ladder. Investigation revealed a frayed cable supporting the ladder.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA24	5-8-02	5191	821	9196	truckdriver

Summary Case Report: -- 61 year old semi driver for a farm co-op was unloading a tanker truck of fuel by himself in the early AM. His tractor had a PTO-operated pump system, with the PTO shaft on the exterior passenger side of the tractor. For an unknown reason the PTO shield had been removed some time in the past (was never found). The man was wearing a loose-fitting jacket and became entangled in the shaft of the PTO, and was killed instantly.
(Full Report Available)

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA25	5-21-02	0212	551	9190	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 73 year old cattle farmer was using an old tricycle-type tractor to feed silage to his cattle. The tractor had been modified 30 years ago by attaching a full-size loader bucket to the rear of the machine. The seat had been reversed, and the farmer routinely used the tractor in this fashion. Once while backing up, he ran over a round bale with one tire, which tipped the tractor completely over, killing the man. There was no ROPS mounted to the tractor.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA26	4-22-02	0212	551	9068	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 56 year old cattle farmer was struck by a cow in his farmyard, causing the man to fall backwards, hitting his head on a section of concrete. He suffered massive head injury, and despite treatment, deteriorated and died in the hospital.

Summary Case Report: -- 38 year old veterinarian was treating several calves in a field when one of them ran into a farm pond. The vet took off his clothes and swam out into the pond with a rope to lasso the calf. He was succesful, and his assistants were able to easily pull the calf back to shore. During this time the vet continued to swim in the water, about 10 feet deep. While lying on his back, suddenly he rolled over and slipped under the surface and drowned. The man was in excellent condition, and his wife thinks he may have developed cramps, something that had happened before while swimming.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA28	4-28-02	0212	551	8210	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 45 year old part-time cattle farmer was using a 6-wheeled ATV to trim trees that had fallen on his fenceline. He was driving uphill on a path in a pasture when he lost control of the machine and it slid towards a tree. The man was crushed between the ATV and the tree and was not found until a few hours later. He was dead at the scene.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA29	6-25-02	1731	643	8810	electrician

Summary Case Report: -- 60 year old electrician was working on a ladder at a farm location when he fell 25 feet to the ground, landing on his head. He suffered craniocerebral trauma and was hospitalized, but developed bacterial pneumonia 17 weeks after the accident and died.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA30	6-26-02	1611	646	8147	construction worker

Summary Case Report: -- 21 year old construction worker from an out-of-state road construction company was standing behind a dump truck filled with gravel when the truck backed over him, causing fatal head injury.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA31	7-8-02	4952	876	8699	sewer repair workers

Summary Case Report: -- 25 year old and 19 year old workers for a sewer repair service were checking a section of sewer for debris. They were walking 15 feet underground in a sewer that was 2 feet wide by 5 ft. tall with 1 foot of sewage flowing on the bottom. They walked through a section of 650 feet long, then collapsed when they arrived at an access hole where the crew were working. Five co-workers tried to rescue them, assuming they were overcome with heat stroke, but the five collapsed in the pit also. Fire rescue came and brought everyone out of the pit. The first two victims had drowned, the other five recovered in the hospital. The pit had filled with hydrogen sulfide gas while the men were walking through the sewer. The victims were not wearing any respirators, and the crew was not following proper confined space safety protocols.
Full Report with Photos

Summary Case Report: -- 76 year old farmer was found dead in his farmyard where three horses were running free. There was no external signs of injury, but autopsy showed several broken ribs and hemorrhage consistent with being trampled by a horse.

Summary Case Report: -- 54 year old truckdriver was driving a semi trailer on an interstate highway when he slammed into the rear of another semi parked on the right shoulder of the road. His truck burst into flames and he suffered multiple blunt force injuries and was burned on 25 % on his body.

Summary Case Report: -- 51 year old tanker truckdriver working for a fuel coop was driving on a gravel road when he went through a gravel-gravel intersection and hit a pickup truck. Both vehicles went into the ditch. The victim was not wearing his seatbelt and was thrown from the cab and was killed. The cab of the truck was intact and the man would easily have survived if he had been wearing the seatbelt.

Summary Case Report: -- 53 year old firefighter, with 27 years experience, died in a house fire. An old 2-story building was in flames, and the victim and a younger fireman were on the roof, knocking out ventilation holes to let heat escape the building. They were aware of the danger and began to retreat, but the roof collapsed under the victim, and he fell to the floor below. Other firefighters rushed to save him, and pulled him out within four minutes, but it was too late.

Summary Case Report: -- 29 year old autobody worker committed suicide where he worked. He locked himself in his car inside the shop and started the engine. He died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA37	5-17-02	1611	642	8120	construction driver

Summary Case Report: -- 51 year old driver for a construction company was driving a flatbed truck carrying a large water tank. He was driving down a state highway when a schoolbus entered the highway at an intersection. The truck T-boned the schoolbus and both went into the ditch. The driver was wearing a seatbelt, and was found pinned inside his truck. He received chest injuries and died at the scene. The schoolbus was empty, except for its driver.

Summary Case Report: -- 78 year old farmer left home to spray thistles in CRP pasture, driving an ATV. He did not return, and was found dead in a ravine with the ATV rolled on top of him. It was learned that he had a bad hip and therefore drove the ATV by standing up on the running boards, which raised his center of gravity, a certain factor in this accident.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA39	7-1-02	5169	831	9192	warehouse worker

Summary Case Report: -- 43 year old warehouse worker for an explosives company was working alone early in the morning, loading a truck at a loading dock with a forklift. The man was found dead, entangled in the fork mechanism, with injuries to his head and neck region. The forklift was partially in the truck, in drive gear, with the engine running, and the parking brake on. It is unclear what the employee was doing at the time, or exactly how he became entangled in the forklift mechanism.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA40	7-26-02	5191	821	8120	farm supply driver

Summary Case Report: -- 60 year old driver for a farm supply company was driving a fertilizer truck when he collided with a pickup truck in a rural intersection. The man was not wearing a seatbelt, and was thrown from his vehicle, laning in the ditch on his head. He died at the scene from massive head and neck injuries.

Summary Case Report: -- 67 year old county worker was driving a tractor mowing ditches along a state highway. He drove over a culvert and was thrown off the tractor, which kept running and ran over the man. The man was crushed and died at the scene.

Summary Case Report: -- 64 year old truckdriver was driving a semitrailer on a state highway when a tire blew out, causing his truck to cross the median, colliding with another semitrailer truck. The man was killed at the scene.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA44	9-3-02	0213	551	9190	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 41 year old farmer was driving a tractor pulling a sewage transfer line up a steep incline in a pasture. The line broke causing the farmer to loose control of the tractor, which rolled back down the hill and rolled over in an 8-ft. deep gully. The man was pinned under the tractor and was found dead the next day.

FACE ID:	Date	SIC	SOC	E Code:	Occupation
2IA45	9-9-02	0191	551	9190	farmer

Summary Case Report: -- 66 year old farmer and his son-in-law were spraying weeds in a pasture, the victim driving the tractor, while the other man was standing on the side of the tractor. One of the nozzles became clogged and both men looked back at it while the tractor was still moving. The right rear wheel slipped over the edge of a steep creek bank and the tractor started to roll into the