Iowa FACE Fatality Summaries: 1999

Summary Case Report: 17-year-old youth was working on a farm helping to move a portable grain dryer. The dryer was too tall to pass under power lines at an intersection, so the victim and a co-worker climbed on top of the dryer and used a plastic pole to hold up the wires as they passed underneath. At one point the victim raised himself up too much and touched another power line on his shoulder and was electrocuted.

Summary Case Report: 80-year-old man was helping his grandson load hogs on a farm. The grandson was driving a tractor with a trailer of hogs backing into position in front of another trailer. The victim was standing between the trailers giving hand signals. The tractor backed too far and pinned the grandfather between the two vehicles. He died at the scene from head and chest injuries.

Summary Case Report: 64-year-old farmer was cutting hay in a field when he lost control of his tractor at the top of a hill. The wide-front tractor raced down the hill until it ran into perpendicular ridges on plowed ground which tore off the front axle of the tractor. The farmer was thrown off and run over by the tractor which continued until it crashed into some trees. The old tractor did not have a cab or ROPS.

Summary Case Report: 29-year-old laborer for a limestone mining company was on his second day of work, driving a rubber-tired forklift/loader unit down a 19 foot-wide sloping road in the mine. He lost control of the unit and wedged it against a rib of the mine. He proceeded to exit the machine by crawling under the raised boom and inadvertently actuated the hydraulic control which lowered the boom pinning him against the frame of the machine.

Summary Case Report: 35-year-old warehouseman was helping another man unload steel materials from a steel storage rack. There were very heavy boiler plates on top of the rack. Using an overhead crane they removed old steel pipes from the top rack, and the entire rack suddenly collapsed crushing the victim. Apparently over time the pipes provided lateral stability for the rack, and when they were removed, the storage rack collapsed under the weight of the boiler plates.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old driver/deliveryman for a millwork company was delivering a load of windows to a residential construction site. While walking on the main level with only a clipboard, he walked or backed into an open hole in the concrete for the basement stairway. He fell 10 feet and received fatal head injuries. He died later that evening in the hospital.

Summary Case Report: 33-year-old construction worker was walking next to a building where men were working on the roof. A reciprocating jigsaw (sawzall) was on the roof and it started to slide down the roof. A co-worker yelled, Look Out, and the victim looked up and was struck by the 4-inch blade of the saw (not running at the time). He was struck anteriorly in the lower neck region and the blade pierced downward, lacerating his aorta. The man quickly bled to death.

Summary Case Report: 68-year-old dairy farmer was repairing shingles on the roof of his barn. He had tied a yellow nylon rope around himself with the end tied off to his pickup truck. Either the rope was previously damaged or it was cut by the cupola of the barn, and the man suddenly fell 12 feet to a concrete surface on the ground, suffering severe internal injuries. He died later that same day. He had evidence of a heart attack, but it could not be determined if it occurred before or after the fall.

Summary Case Report: 78-year-old chairman of trustees and janitor for a church was mowing the church property when he was was burned while refueling his mower. Apparently he spilled gas on the engine or muffler while refueling and it caught on fire, spreading quickly to his clothing. At one point the 1-gal. plastic gas can caught fire and blew up.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old caterpillar operator was part of a crew cleaning up after a train derailment. He was standing next to a flatbed railcar while another man operating an excavator was moving a piece of wreckage. The excavator bucket was holding up a portion of a sawed off truck, including the rear dual wheels / axles. The load was being swung towards the railway car when the excavator operator noticed the victim standing near the railway car, and suddenly stopped his swing. The movement caused the set of wheels to come loose and they rolled towards the man and pinned him against the railway car.

Summary Case Report: 38-year-old worker was recently hired at a hog confinement operation. He was driving a tractor up a steep bank pulling a manure tank. The hitch pin he used was not strong enough and it broke causing the tractor to rollover on the slope, crushing the operator underneath. The tractor uprighted itself and kept running. It did not have a cab or ROPS.

Summary Case Report: 60-year-old semi-truck driver was operating a belly dump truck down an interstate highway when he apparently fell asleep and ran off the road, causing the truck to buckle and crash in the ditch. The driver was wearing a seatbelt yet sustained severe head injuries in the crash. He died three days later in the hospital from his injuries.

Summary Case Report: 34-year-old truckdriver was operating his rig pulling a flatbed trailer when he approached a rural railroad crossing which had crossbucks and a stop sign. He did not stop at the crossing but drove through at 15 mph. and was struck on the passenger side of his cab by an AMTRACK train traveling 79 mph. His semi seemed to explode into several pieces and the operator was killed from multiple injuries. Limited visibility may have been from a tree line and the fact the crossing was not at right angles to the road. They were unable to determine if he was wearing a seatbelt.

Summary Case Report: 37-year-old maintenance engineer mechanic was working on a disabled forklift at a wire plant. He had jacked up the rear of the forklift and put some support blocks underneath, and then crawled underneath to work. The forklift apparently shifted and rolled off the support blocks crushing the man underneath.

Summary Case Report: 20-year-old farmer was driving a tractor and attached manure spreader. He was driving back from spreading a load in a farm field, when he passed by a creek. He evidently drove too close to the creek bank and the tractor rolled into the creek, crushing the man underneath. He was freed by his parents, but was DOA at the hospital.

Summary Case Report: 59-year-old farmer was changing the front right tire on his tractor. He had lowered the front-end loader to raise the wheels off the ground, then went to town to get a new tire. When he returned the tractor front had settled back down. Without thinking he reached over to the ignition switch and turned on the tractor, assuming it was in neutral. The tractor immediately started in gear and the right rear tire ran over the man causing fatal abdominal and chest injuries.

Summary Case Report: 48-year-old conductor for a freight railroad was in the first engine of a 2-engine, 50-car train. The train engine collided with a large tractor pulling a liquid manure tank at a rural railroad crossing. The crossing is marked only with signs. The second engine crashed into the first engine and several cars derailed, one of which contained soybean meal. The conductor and engineer were trapped in the wreckage and were both being covered by flowing soybean meal when rescuers arrived. The victim died from asphyxia from the soybean meal; the conductor was rescued.

Summary Case Report: 41-year-old maintenance technician for a natural gas pipeline company was one of two men inspecting a pipeline that was recently damaged by a tiling crew. There was no gas leakage when the men arrived at the site. While they were inspecting the damage, the pipeline ruptured and the force of the expanding gas blew the victim out of the hole he was working in, throwing him 50 feet. The gas was under 800-900 psi. pressure. The gas did not ignite.

Summary Case Report: 37-year-old farm laborer was traveling down a 2-lane highway driving a semi-tractor with trailer. Another trucker in the opposite lane was following a wide-load mobile home which had just slowed down on approaching a bridge. The other trucker swerved to the left to pass the wide load and crossed in front of the victim coming in the opposite lane. Both semis collided nearly head-on and the victim received closed head injuries. He was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 23-year-old conductor for a freight railroad was working with an older engineer. They were in the front engine traveling 40-45 mph. when they suddenly discovered a stationary grain train on the track in front of them. The victim (99IA07701) jumped out the window of his engine and was fatally injured when the trains collided and derailed. Railroad regulations recommend that conductors and engineers ride out accidents and remain in the engine compartment. During the wreckage a tanker car fell on top of a van parked adjacent to the railroad, used to transport railroad employees to remote sites. Inside the van was a 45 -year-old cabdriver (99IA07702) who was fatally crushed when his van (taxi) was flattened by the railroad tanker car.

Summary Case Report: A 45-year-old cabdriver (99IA07702) was fatally crushed when his van (taxi) was flattened by a railroad tanker car during a train / train collision. A 23-year-old conductor for a freight railroad was working with an older engineer operating the train. They were in the front engine traveling 40-45 mph. when they suddenly discovered a stationary grain train on the track in front of them. The victim (99IA07701) jumped out the window of his engine and was fatally injured when the trains collided and derailed. Railroad regulations recommend that conductors and engineers ride out accidents and remain in the engine compartment. During the wreckage a tanker car fell on top of a van parked adjacent to the railroad, used to transport railroad employees to remote sites. Inside the van was the cabdriver (99IA07702) who was fatally crushed when his van (taxi) was flattened by the railroad tanker car.

Summary Case Report: 25-year-old tanker-truck driver was near or in his truck while it was being unloaded at a tire manufacturing plant. The truck was filled with heptane. While unloading, an incorrectly set valve inside the plant directed the flammable liquid to an exit pipe and it was dumped on the ground on the opposite side of the building. This was unnoticed for some time and the liquid flowed away from the plant to a nearby street, where it was ignited by a passing auto, sending the flames back towards the truck. The truck and surrounding areas caught on fire causing extensive property damage. The victim was found burned to death near the rear of his truck.

Summary Case Report: 44-year-old foreman for a bridge construction crew was helping to move an overhead crane at the jobsite. Another worker was operating the crane while the victim was guiding the ball and hook as they were moving the crane. The crane came close to overhead power lines and either touched them or electricity arced from them to the crane and the victim was electrocuted.

Summary Case Report: 29-year-old laborer for a telecommunications company was working on the first day of the job, helping to erect a tower. While climbing down the tower, carrying a bucket of bolts, he fell 60 feet to the ground and was killed. He was wearing safety equipment and had received training, however OSHA determined the training was insufficient.

Summary Case Report: 65-year-old farmer had been hunting deer on his property with his sons and neighbors. They had just cleaned the carcasses in the barn, putting all the deer remains in a front-end loader of a tractor. The victim drove the tractor to the farm dumpsite, driving with the loader in a raised position, a well-known bad habit for the man. While making a sharp left turn on a muddy logging road, the tractor slid down a slope, overturned , and hit a tree, crushing the farmer in the process. The tractor had a wide front end, but no ROPS.

Summary Case Report: 12-year-old farm boy was driving a tractor down a county highway and turned right into a farm driveway. He lost control of the tractor during the turn and it went into the far ditch and overturned pinning the boy underneath. Eyewitnesses think he pushed only the right brake, which spun the tractor around, or his left foot may have slipped off the clutch, causing the tractor to lurch out of control during the turn. Ultimate cause of the accident was inexperience.

Summary Case Report: 48-year-old fireman, 25 year veteran of the department was killed in the line of duty. Three firemen were the first to respond to a fire call at an old apartment building in a residential area. Outside was a frantic mother screaming for the lives of three of her children still trapped in the blaze. The three firemen donned self-contained breathing gear and charged into the building armed with water lines. Two children were removed from the apartment and taken outside (later died) but the third child was harder to locate. A flash over occurred trapping the three firemen and they died from smoke inhalation and from exposure to the intense heat. The missing child also died for a total of six lives lost due to the fire. Investigation concluded that a child had turned on the kitchen stove igniting a material on the stove which spread to the adjacent wall.

Summary Case Report: 29-year-old fireman, 6 1/2 year veteran of the department, was killed in the line of duty. Three firemen were the first to respond to a fire call at an old apartment building in a residential area. Outside was a frantic mother screaming for the lives of three of her children still trapped in the blaze. The three firemen donned self-contained breathing gear and charged into the building armed with water lines. Two children were removed from the apartment and taken outside (later died) but the third child was harder to locate. A flash over occurred trapping the three firemen and they died from smoke inhalation and from exposure to the intense heat. The missing child also died for a total of six lives lost due to the fire. Investigation concluded that a child had turned on the kitchen stove igniting a material on the stove which spread to the adjacent wall.

Summary Case Report: 39-year-old fireman, 4 1/2 year veteran of the department, was killed in the line of duty. Three firemen were the first to respond to a fire call at an old apartment building in a residential area. Outside was a frantic mother screaming for the lives of three of her children still trapped in the blaze. The three firemen donned self-contained breathing gear and charged into the building armed with water lines. Two children were removed from the apartment and taken outside (later died) but the third child was harder to locate. A flash over occurred trapping the three firemen and they died from smoke inhalation and from exposure to the intense heat. The missing child also died for a total of six lives lost due to the fire. Investigation concluded that a child had turned on the kitchen stove igniting a material on the stove which spread to the adjacent wall.

Summary Case Report: 53-year-old foreman for construction crew was operating a dump truck, in process of dumping out a partial load of sand at a worksite. He half-way raised up the box on a 1968 model dump truck, then while standing to the side of the box, reached underneath the box to manually trip the lever on the hydraulic valve to lower the box. Because the sand was wet and heavy, the box fell immediately and pinned the man to the frame of the truck causing fatal head injuries. Apparently the man had a bad habit of controlling the dump box in this fashion. Full Report and Photos

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old handyman was working alone in an industrial building getting it ready for occupancy by a trailer sales company. He was using his personal aluminum extension ladder (not extended) to service a hanging furnace when he fell 8 feet to the concrete floor, sustaining severe head injuries. He died about a month later.

Summary Case Report: A 62-year-old self-employed roofer was working on a two-story residence when he lost his balance and fell. He hit the ladder several times before hitting a concrete surface on the ground. He suffered massive head and chest injuries and was DOA in the emergency room. The exact circumstances of this accident are not known, although it was reported to be a very windy day.

Summary Case Report: A 29-year-old farm worker was driving a tractor at his brothers farm, pulling a trailer of debris up a hill with a small tractor. The wheels of the tractor began spinning, then suddenly the tractor flipped over backwards, crushing the operator between the steering wheel and the frame of the trailer.

Summary Case Report: 83-year-old cattle farmer had entered a wooden feed bunk to clean out snow which had blown into it. Apparently he got stuck in the bunk and died from exposure. He was found a few days later by a tenant at his farm. There was no sign of foul play, accidental fall, or natural causes.

Summary Case Report: 4 -year-old excavation contractor and part-time horse breeder was throwing down hay for his horses from a hayloft. His foot got stuck and he fell 12 feet out of the loft, landing on a concrete pad. He suffered massive head injuries. His boot was still stuck between the bales in the loft.

Summary Case Report: 42-year-old farmer was in process of changing a frayed and leaking hydraulic hose that went to the front-end loader on his tractor. He raised the loader, then began removing the damaged hose not realizing that this hose was holding pressure to keep the loader raised. When it was disconnected, the loader fell and pinned him against the tractor. On this model the hydraulic cylinders are reversed up and down, and he may have assumed it was OK to remove the hose from the top of the cylinder, as it would be on many other models. He used no bracing or blocks under the loader before he began work.

Summary Case Report: 57-year-old farmer was working with his son clearing a small field of trees using a skid-steer loader. While trying to push over or uproot a tree, the tree fell backwards and hit the operator in the head and chest region. The loader did not have a cage or ROPS and the man was killed from severe head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 83-year-old farmer was driving an old tractor pulling a rotary hoe. He was traveling down a rural road and was crossing a bridge which had cement guardrails. The rotary hoe hit the guardrail causing the tractor to ride up onto the guardrail. The victim was catapulted off the tractor and thrown 30 feet, suffering head and neck injuries. The tractor had a narrow front and did not have a ROPS.

Summary Case Report: 22-year-old operator of a farm tractor was driving north on a county road pulling a hayrack. He crossed a clearly marked railroad crossing and was struck by a westbound freight train and was killed instantly. Weather conditions were not a factor, nor was alcohol. All horns, lights, bells and whistles were operational on the train yet the victim was not aware of the approaching train.

Summary Case Report: 54-year-old farmer was doing landscape work for a neighbor using a narrow-front tractor equipped with a front-end loader. While grading an area for a new house, his tractor wheel fell into a small hole causing the tractor to roll over. The man was crushed underneath and was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 55-year-old hog farmer was found dead in his hog lot. He died from a self-inflicted shotgun wound. His family indicated that he had been depressed for some time, but had not made any hints about suicide.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old machine operator for a sewage handling company was part of a 3-man crew in process of applying lagoon sewage to a farm field. They were transferring sewage from a semi tanker to a 4-wheeled agricultural sprayer, which the victim was driving. He left the operators cab and left the machine in drive instead of park. The machine did not move because of a low idle. When they hooked up hoses and flipped a throttle switch for the pump, the machine took off forward, running over the victim who was standing to the side between the wheels. He was killed instantly.

Summary Case Report: 19-year-old college student was one of three students working part-time for a tree service company. They were in process of cutting down a tree and making firewood for a customer. Two of them went to deliver firewood and returned to see the victim pinned up in the tree. He had been cutting off a 10-inch diameter branch above him, and when it snapped off the butt of the branch swung back and pushed the victim against another branch, killing him. He was 10 feet above the ground.

Summary Case Report: 44-year-old production aid for a vocational light assembly facility was operating a forklift. When he exited his machine he was struck by another forklift and suffered a broken hip and ankle. After surgical repair he was recuperating at home where he developed a blood clot and died. He had no predisposing medical conditions.

Summary Case Report: 42-year-old foreman for a county road construction crew was at a bridge work site directing a dump truck as it was backing up towards him with a full load of dirt. He verbally gave the driver clearance to back up into position, as he was standing on the drivers side of the work zone. The victim apparently quickly changed his position, and must have slipped or fell, for he was found crushed under the left side dual wheels of the dump truck.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old female engineer for a refrigeration company was traveling with a co-worker enroute to a company meeting. They were driving through Cedar Rapids when the co-worker drove through a protected intersection and was hit on the passenger side by a pickup truck. The victim was wearing a seatbelt, but never-the-less received fatal injuries.

Summary Case Report: 29-year-old part-time farmer was driving his tractor down a rural gravel road at night without any lights on the tractor. An approaching car swerved to miss the tractor, and the tractor simultaneously swerved towards the right hand ditch to avoid the car. The tractor rolled over in the ditch and the operator was killed instantly from crushing injuries. The tractor had a wide front and no ROPS.

Summary Case Report: 27-year-old self-employed carpet layer was driving in his company vehicle when he was struck by another vehicle who ran through a stop sign at an intersection.

Summary Case Report: 70-year-old rural postal carrier was involved in a car accident while delivering mail. He died from acute chest trauma.