Iowa FACE Fatality Summaries: 1995
Summary Case Report: A 37-year-old farmer was trying to clean the operating pedals of a skid-steer loader, which were frozen with manure, snow, and ice. Working in a small garage with a low ceiling prevented use of the machine’s lift arm locks. The bucket was stuck in the raised position. The victim had disabled the seatbelt safety interlock and the bucket came down on him when he loosened the pedals or linkage with a crowbar. Full Report with Photos
Summary Case Report: The victim was a 44-year-old driver of a semi-trailer hauling milk. The trailer went off the highway and pulled the cab into the ditch. The cab rolled, causing severe head injury to the driver. He was not wearing a seat belt and was killed instantly. There was no determined cause of this crash. No environmental factors were known and it happened in the daytime.
Summary Case Report: The victim was a 50-year-old heavy equipment operator working on a road crew for a new bridge. He was using a butane torch to thaw frozen solvent inside a hand-held sprayer (typical pressurized weed sprayer) when the spray can exploded in his face, causing serious skull fracture. He was taken to a regional hospital, underwent brain surgery, and died later of surgical complications, never regaining consciousness.
Summary Case Report: The 27-year-old victim
was repairing the sweep auger of a silo bottom unloader, laying behind the
auger shield on the silo floor. He shouted that he was clear of the auger
and a partner turned it on to clean it out. Apparently, the victim reached
over the auger to move a hanging trouble light and caught his sleeve on the
auger, which severed his arm and shoulder, causing extensive chest injury. Full Report with Photo &
Diagram
Summary Case Report: Victim was a 75 -year-old farmer working alone loading manure with an older narrow-front tractor equipped with a front-end loader. Working in a sloped barn yard, he was moving in a reverse turn with the bucket raised, and full of manure. The tractor was tipped to the side and to the front, increasing its instability even further, and it probably tipped over when he applied the brakes during his turn. It rolled completely over crushing and killing the victim. Full Report with Photo
Summary Case Report: The 43-year-old victim was a construction laborer repairing the side walls of a concrete silo damaged by an explosion. He was working 110 ft. high inside a "star bin" of a commercial elevator, standing outside of a scaffold suspended by cables. When the platform shifted downward, he lost his balance and fell to his death. He was not wearing a safety belt or lifeline, although these items were available at the jobsite, and workers were required to wear them. Full Report
Summary Case Report: The victim was a 40-year-old factory worker who was shot at close range to the back of the head with a .32 caliber hand gun. The assailant was employed by the same company. He also killed one other man and wounded two others with the same handgun.
Summary Case Report: A 12-year-old boy was working part-time for a farmer doing routine farm chores. He was driving a tractor pulling a cattle feed wagon down a gravel road approximately 1/2 mile to the farm site. While starting to climb a hill, he apparently got too close to the right edge of the road and overturned the tractor in the ditch, crushing his chest under the left rear tire. He was killed instantly. No ROPS (roll-over protective structure) was on the tractor. Full Report with Photos
Summary Case Report: A 50-year-old farmer was emptying a grain bin of corn. He was vacuuming from the bottom until the grain domed over, then he switched to top vacuuming. For an unknown reason, the victim entered the grain bin and was standing on the grain when it caved in and completely buried him. It took 15 minutes to get the man out. They rammed a tractor into the bin and peeled away the siding. He was dead from suffocation.
Summary Case Report: Victim was a 46-year-old male working for a small agricultural construction company building pole buildings. It was his third day on the job. The outside temperature was 90 degrees. He suddenly complained of being hot and tired, sat down, then fell over. He was put in the shade until an ambulance arrived. His skin was hot & dry. Tachycardia of 150 changed to v-tach, then asystole. CPR was attempted at the hospital but without success.
Summary Case Report: Victim was a 72-year-old electrical supervisor installing a new switch gear for a municipal substation. He removed the cover of an electrical bus and was standing on an angle iron frame above the bus. He slipped and his left leg went into the bus contacting 12,000 volts. The contact severed his left leg and exited through his right posterior back, causing extensive burning of tissue and clothing. He died instantly.
Summary Case Report: Victim was a 19-year-old male, one of three men working in a trench to connect an apartment building to a sewer line. They used a backhoe to dig the 10 ft. deep trench, entering through a concrete parking lot. The walls of the trench caved in and completely buried the victim and a co-worker. The victim was struck by a large piece of sharp concrete which crushed his skull. He then was buried by dirt and mud that slid into the trench.
Summary Case Report: Victim was a 21-year-old male, one of three men working in a trench to connect an apartment building to a sewer line. They used a backhoe to dig the 10 ft. deep trench, entering through a concrete parking lot. The walls of the trench caved in and completely buried two of the men with dirt, mud, and concrete debris. It took over an hour to remove the victim. CPR was attempted unsuccessfully. He died from traumatic asphyxiation.
Summary Case Report: Steelworker / welder aged 66 working part-time for an implement dealer was cutting apart 55 gal. barrels with an acetylene torch. Barrels were empty and completely sealed but thought to contain residual low-grade oil. One barrel exploded, striking the victim in the face with the lid. He died while in transit to the hospital. Tests revealed a small quantity of gasoline in the barrel that exploded.
Summary Case Report: A 49-year-old farmer was driving a tractor pulling a stock trailer down a county road late at night. Neither vehicle had lights. The trailer was struck from the rear by a pick-up truck as the truck crested a hill, ejecting the victim from his seat. All vehicles went into the ditch. The victim was found pinned under the wheels of the trailer, dead at the scene. Both the trailer and the truck were totally destroyed.
Summary Case Report: An 81-year-old farmer was replacing a worn hydraulic hose on a tractor equipped with a front-end loader. With the bucket raised the victim removed a hose connection allowing the bucket to fall by gravity, pinning him to the tractor. He was rescued within 5 minutes by his son, who administered CPR, but the victim never responded, even after the arrival of ambulance personnel.
Summary Case Report: A 61-year-old farmer and retired maintenance worker was in the process of cutting trees and moving logs. Victim was using a backhoe with loader to position a cut tree onto wood pile, using front bucket to pick up large tree with many limbs intact. The tree rolled off the bucket and a branch hit the victim in the face and neck. He was found pinned in the tractor seat with blue facial color. CPR by wife and EMT crew was ineffective. Full Report
Summary Case Report: The 64-year-old, female victim and her son were trying to start a tractor that had a bad clutch. They were pulling the tractor while it was in gear. After it started the victim ran around the front of the tractor, tripped and fell, and the tractor ran over her, causing extensive internal injuries to her chest and abdomen. She was rushed to the hospital and soon flown to a regional hospital, but died en route.
Summary Case Report: A 57-year-old loading dock worker was helping to load sheet rock onto a flat bed truck. While a partner was using a heavy duty forklift to position a large load of sheet rock, the forklift suddenly lurched forward pinning the victim to the truck, causing extensive injuries to chest and abdomen. He died instantly from a ruptured aorta and other major blood vessels. Full Report with Photos
Summary Case Report: A 39-year-old male was driving a 3-wheeled agricultural sprayer down a gravel road after spraying "weed killer" (unknown type). Spray tanks were nearly empty. One rear tire slipped into the roadside ditch and hit a culvert, overturning the machine in the ditch. The machine had a cab, yet the driver suffered significant chest and head injuries and was covered with liquid herbicide. He died shortly after at the hospital.
Summary Case Report: A 17-year-old youth was using a ladder to change a light bulb while working for a discount home center retail store. He slipped and fell 18 ft. to the concrete floor below, landing on his head. He received massive head injuries. He was rushed to the hospital immediately, but was dead on arrival. There is a possibility that the youth was shocked by the light fixture before he fell. Full Report with Diagram
Summary Case Report: The victim was a 39-year-old owner of a plumbing and electric company installing an earth energy heating system at a lakefront home. Man was working in a 15 ft. trench when one side, under the dirt pile, collapsed and buried him. The trench was dug 30 ft. from the lake edge and the soil was wet, hard clay. He was rescued and partially revived by off-duty firemen skiing nearby, two being paramedics, but he died the next day in the hospital.
Summary Case Report: A 52-year-old semi-trailer driver was pulling an empty flat-bed trailer on a county road. He failed to stop at a railroad crossing and was hit by a train. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the cab. The cab and trailer then caught fire. The victim received blunt trauma injuries to chest and abdomen and third-degree burns over much of his body. He was flown by helicopter to hospital and died the next day.
Summary Case Report: A 48-year-old self-employed tree surgeon with 20 years experience was trimming a tree using an older hydraulic boom truck. Extended arm of the boom was round and made of fiberglass. While putting the arm in a hyper-extended position straight up, the fiberglass extension snapped off completely and swung down in an arc, propelling the victim head first into the ground below. He died instantly from massive head and neck injuries. Full Report with Photo
Summary Case Report: A 20-year-old road survey worker for DOT was standing on the centerline of a 2-way primary highway holding a "prism stick". He was facing north, wearing proper orange vest and hard hat. DOT vehicle was parked well off the right side of the road. Victim was hit from behind by a suburban driven by an elderly man who claims he did not see the worker. Victim was killed instantly from multiple traumatic injuries.
Summary Case Report: A 44-year-old farmer was unloading a small grain bin (3-4000 bushel) filled with corn using a 220 volt auger stuck through the door. While climbing in/out the door he was electrocuted when he touched the auger with his hands. Entry/exit wounds were present on hands and side of chest. Auger motor had recently been repaired. Two sisters, both nurses, came to his aid and began CPR. Ambulance got lost and was delayed 30 min. He was dead on arrival at the hospital.
Summary Case Report: A 35-year-old installation supervisor for an out-of-state manufacturer of recycling conveyor systems was overseeing installation done by a third company. He was standing on a heavy metal conveyor belt that was being pulled by winches up an incline. A poorly welded connection failed and the belt came sliding down rapidly under a 4 X 4 angle iron, pulling victim through a narrow space causing massive fatal injuries. Full Report with Photo
Summary Case Report: A 49-year-old farmer was using an older metal-cased electric hand drill making repairs near his hog lot. While holding the drill which was plugged in he was electrocuted when he stepped over a dry wooden fence and touched a hog in the lot. No history of heart condition, no medications. He was seen immediately by his wife who gave CPR, but there was no response. The drill was found to have worn insulation inside. The hog was also killed.
Summary Case Report: A 39-year-old farmer and vocational agricultural instructor was loading hay onto a wagon on a side hill. The wagon was not attached to the tractor. It started to roll backwards. Farmer downhill from the wagon raised front-end loader of tractor to stop rolling. The wagon kept coming and overturned the tractor, killing him instantly. The victim's 11-year-old son, riding with his father, was thrown off and crushed his arm; his13-year-old son was an eyewitness and ran for help. Full Report
Summary Case Report: An 11-year-old boy was driving a 1/2 ton pickup down a gravel road between farms where he did routine chores. He lost control of the truck and went into the ditch. The truck overturned, ejecting the boy, and came to rest on its top, crushing the boy underneath. There were no contributing environmental factors identified. The boy was dead at the scene.
Summary Case Report: A 33-year-old male farmer was driving a tractor down a gravel road pulling a grain wagon, and preparing to turn left into a bean field. When he turned left, he was immediately hit by a dump truck passing on his left side. The tractor was thrown down the road, killing the farmer instantly. The dump truck was knocked into the left ditch and the driver received multiple non-fatal injuries.
Summary Case Report: A 74-year-old retired farmer was driving an older narrow-front tractor pulling a small utility wagon. His wife was working with him. He was crossing a homemade wooden bridge when his wife heard something crack. She turned to look at the bridge, and it collapsed. The tractor landed upside down, killing the farmer instantly. The bridge was made of telephone type poles with cross planking. It spanned 30 feet and had a depth of 15 ft.
Summary Case Report: A 27-year-old mechanic working in auto salvage yard was working under a wrecked car supported by a heavy duty forklift. An inexperienced friend was driving the forklift and the car was poorly balanced on the forks. The victim grabbed onto the undercarriage to kick off a loosened wheel, and the car tipped to its front and rapidly slid off the forks crushing the mechanic. Full Report with Photos
Summary Case Report: A 75-year-old farmer working alone was cutting willow brush along a creek with his older tractor and rotary mower. He got too close to the creek bank and the rear wheel dropped off the edge, causing the tractor to roll down a 5 ft. grass-covered embankment which had a 70 degree slope. No ROPS were present on the tractor. He was killed instantly from blunt chest and abdominal trauma. He was found hours later by his wife.
Summary Case Report: A 84-year-old farmer was working alone combining beans with a self-propelled combine purchased in 1994. Apparently while cleaning dirt from the machine, it slipped into gear and caught his leg in the beanhead auger. He was unconscious when found by an implement repairman. He had severe leg entanglement and significant loss of blood. The old combine was in poor condition. Full Report with Photos
Summary Case Report: A 65-year-old farmer was unloading grain at a farm using a hydraulic dump truck. He had just finished dumping his load when he intentionally tripped the hydraulic switch to lower the box – not from the cab but from underneath the box. Apparently he got caught by his clothing and could not escape and was crushed between the box and frame of the truck. The box was "power down" which caused severe and fatal injuries.
Summary Case Report: A 52-year-old female flagger for highway construction crew was within the construction setup on right-hand lane of an interstate highway. She was struck by a pick-up truck pulling a trailer of wood. The truck was in the passing lane and entered the construction zone landing in the right ditch. The woman was killed instantly from upper body and head injuries. The construction setup complied with DOT guidelines.
Summary Case Report: A 41-year-old farmer was driving a tractor pulling two empty grain wagons down a hard surfaced secondary road. A semi-trailer was passing the tractor when the tractor suddenly turned left into the path of the truck. The impact broke the tractor in two and the truck cab jack-knifed into the left ditch. The farmer was killed instantly from head injuries as the tractor then slid into the trailer on the road.
Summary Case Report: A 26-year-old male part-time farmhand was helping two others move a conventional 30 ft. grain auger at a farmstead. He was cranking the auger down by hand when it contacted a high voltage power line and he was electrocuted. Entry marks were present on his right hand with exit marks on both feet. It occurred at 8:30 pm, so visibility was poor. Emergency crews arrived within 2 minutes, but efforts to revive him failed.
Summary Case Report: A 51-year-old farmer was replacing a universal joint under an older straight truck which had a 14 foot grain box on the frame. The truck was parked on a slight incline, out of gear, with the emergency brake set--no wheel chocks were used. When he removed the u-joint, the truck immediately rolled backwards pinning the victim to the ground by the front axle. The parking brake was connected directly to the transmission and worked through the driveshaft, not to the rear wheels, as the victim mistakenly assumed. Full Report with Photo
Summary Case Report: A 30-year-old partner in a construction business was crushed by the bucket of a skid-steer loader. The victim, in the process of moving a house, was working alone changing the battery in a skid-steer loader, working under the raised bucket. The bucket had no supports or bracing. He apparently tripped the hydraulic lever and the bucket came down, pinning him to the frame. He was trapped for an estimated 20 minutes. He was DOA at the hospital.
Summary Case Report: A 76-year-old farmer was combining corn alone and had just finished hooking up a grain wagon to the tractor. He apparently slipped while entering the cab of the tractor, pulling on the gear shift lever, jamming it into 1st gear. He fell from the cab and was run over by the tractor, killing him instantly. He had put the tractor into neutral and not in park. Once in park, this lever will not move without the clutch. Full Report with Photos
Summary Case Report: A 73-year-old farmer was driving an older tricycle type tractor straight up a steep hill, something he had done many times before. This day the ground was slippery and he slid back down a few times. On last attempt he slid back and the right rear wheel rode up on a bush turning the tractor to the left. It rolled completely over with front crushing chest of victim. Tractor had no ROPS. The tractor did have liquid filled tires.
Summary Case Report: A 58-year-old grain supervisor for small town elevator was run over by a semi-trailer after it had unloaded grain. Truck unloaded grain in a typical fashion through bottom gates; the driver got back in his truck and drove to the scales, unaware that the victim had been run over by rear duals. The accident was unwitnessed. The man was killed instantly. He may have stooped down under the truck to remove rocks from the grain before it went into the dryer.
Summary Case Report: A 40-year-old farmer was unloading corn from a 6000 bushel grain bin using a bottom-unloading auger. Top layers of corn were moist and hot, and had domed over while unloading. The farmer entered the grain bin from the top and attempted to insert an aerator pipe into the corn to dry it. The corn dome collapsed, burying the victim under 10 ft. of corn. He was not found until 3-4 hours later. The accident occurred at a remote farmstead.
Summary Case Report: An employee of a trailer manufacturing company was killed when he was hit by an overhead garage door that was being repaired. The door had been malfunctioning and workers had propped it up with a forklift truck. The victim was simply passing through the area when a large section of the door came off its track, swung down and hit him in the head. He was taken to a regional hospital but died shortly after arrival.
Summary Case Report: A 65-year-old farm helper was working alone unloading corn out of a gravity flow grain wagon--was dumping through a floor grate into an auger system. Apparently due to wet and clumped grain, the auger must have clogged, for the victim removed the heavy metal grate. He must have slipped and caught his right leg in the auger, which amputated his leg in the mid-thigh. The victim lost significant blood before being found. He was DOA at the local hospital. Full Report with Photos
Summary Case Report: A 71-year-old "retired farmer" was attempting to repair the hydraulic system on a grain truck which had a hydraulic box. The man was found between the box rails and the box, between the cheater axle and the rear duals. The truck had a history of leaking oil from the left cylinder which caused the box to lower on its own when power was shut off. Time for box to lower was 10-15 seconds. He was dead at the scene from crushing injuries.
Summary Case Report: A 35-year-old tree trimmer and computer analyst was trimming trees with a "cherry picker". He was attempting to lower a limb he had just cut. He was holding onto the limb by a rope, while he stood in the bucket 30-40 feet in the air. The falling limb and rope flipped him out of bucket and he fell to the ground, hitting his head on the bumper of the truck. He was killed instantly from head injuries. No lifelines or hard hat were used.
Summary Case Report: A 33-year-old brick plant worker was on a walkway checking a jammed conveyor belt above a silo of crushed rock. He lost his balance and fell feet first into the crushed rock, which had the consistency of very fine powdered cement. He plunged deep into the rock dust and quickly suffocated.
Summary Case Report: A 24-year-old construction crew foreman was driving a pickup truck on an interstate highway on his way to work early in the morning. As he approached an interchange his truck veered off the right side of the road, hit a culvert and burst into flames. There was no evidence of skid marks or swerving--the vehicle went straight off the road. He died of massive head injuries and massive burn injury.
Summary Case Report: A 49-year-old female rural mail carrier was driving her passenger car down a gravel road making mail deliveries. She lost control of her car and it went into the ditch and hit a utility pole. She could not get her car out of the ditch. Unknown to her, a power line had fallen down adjacent to a mailbox. She apparently walked 20 ft. and contacted this electric source at a mailbox with her right hand. Entry/exit wounds were visible on right hand and both feet.
Summary Case Report: A 57-year-old male semi-trailer driver was driving on interstate highway when he lost control of his truck, which crossed the median and struck another semi-trailer head on. The driver was killed instantly from whole body blunt trauma. He was not wearing a seat belt. Evidence for previous myocardial infarct and very narrow vessels may be significant to this accident.
Summary Case Report: A 64-year-old farmer was changing a tire on a full grain wagon using a "handyman jack." The jack slipped, and the handle hit him on the right side of the head, knocking him against a building that was adjacent to the wagon. He was OK for about an hour, then complained about pain before losing consciousness. He was taken to hospital and died shortly after. Head injury with coup-countercoup damage was seen at autopsy.
Summary Case Report: A 40-year-old grain farmer committed suicide by a shotgun wound to the head. He was found by a relative in the driveway of his machine shed at his farm residence. Cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage.
Summary Case Report: A 65-year-old farmer was driving a straight grain truck with a load of silage, driving down a secondary hard-surfaced road. He lost control of the truck which went into the right ditch, hit a culvert and then overturned, ejecting the victim. He was not wearing a seat belt and died from massive chest trauma and rib fractures, and also acquired a cervical spine fracture.
Summary Case Report: The victim, a 52-year-old insurance salesman, was driving his company car down a primary highway when he was struck from the front by a van which had lost control due to the snowy conditions. Both vehicles burst into flames upon impact and both drivers died.
Summary Case Report: A 52-year old vice president for a data processing company committed suicide with an intraoral gunshot wound. He was using a semi-automatic pistol. His company had recently filed for bankruptcy, but others said he was handling it very well. However, early that day he tried to shoot the company president, but his gun jammed. Later, when surrounded by police in his office, his took his own life.
Summary Case Report: A 51-year-old construction contractor was just released from jail after an ordeal involving suspicion for misappropriation of funds for a city government that he was working for. One hour after release from jail, he was driving his pickup down a 4-lane highway and veered off the road and struck a concrete bridge support. Estimated speed was at least 60 mph. Man was killed instantly. Suspect possible suicide. No significant medical history.
Summary Case Report: A 79-year-old farmer was taking a bull to market when the bull gored him in the face and caused several rib fractures on his left side. Victim had a history of emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, so treatment in the hospital was difficult. He developed mild pneumothorax and other complications while in the hospital and died after aspiration of vomitus.
Summary Case Report: A 36-year-old man was owner of a 3-man logging crew hired to clear timber on a farmers acreage. The victim was cutting down a large maple tree when a large branch fell from above hitting him in the chest, causing significant intrathoracic hemorrhage. The man died within a minute from this blunt trauma.
Summary Case Report: A 75-year-old driver for an automotive dealer was driving a passenger car down a county road when he drifted onto the right shoulder and struck a farm driveway, sending the car into the air. The car landed in the ditch, and rolled. The victim received extensive internal injuries and died a few hours later in the hospital. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
Summary Case Report: A 40-year-old laborer working at a tire manufacturing plant for the past 5-6 years committed suicide in the parking lot of the plant before work one morning. He died instantly from a single shotgun wound to the chest.
Summary Case Report: A 36-year-old worker in a food processing plant was one of two men shot to death by another man who also worked at the plant. The two victims were acquainted with the gunman. They were shot at close range in the head with a .36 caliber handgun. |
