Iowa FACE Fatality Summaries: 2001

Summary Case Report: 51-year-old worker for a county road department was operating a road grader, removing snow from around a railroad crossing. While backing his grader along the side of a snowbank and onto the railroad tracks, he was struck by a freight train. Apparently the snowbank blocked his view of the oncoming train. He received severe head injuries and died a few hours later. The railroad crossing was on an uncontrolled gravel road. No other obstructions were present except for the snowbank. The man had been operating a grader for several years.

Summary Case Report: 59-year-old tow truck operator was connecting his tow truck to a disabled propane truck at a private residence. While working between the vehicles, the propane truck slid forward on the icy surface and crushed the man against the stinger of his tow truck causing fatal internal injuries. The man died an hour later. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 48-year-old supervisor of a small town grain elevator was found dead in a grain bin filled with corn screenings. One arm was sticking up through the grain. Grain was not moving in or out of the bin at the time, and there was no entanglement in any machinery. There is no known reason why he would enter that bin, for he did not have his radio, did not use his harness, or tell anyone where he was going. He must have slipped or fell into the 60 foot tall bin, but there is no evidence of why he would even entered the bin.

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old farmer went out in the morning to move snow using an old skid-steer loader. The machine did not have a cage or other means to protect the operator. The man was found pinned between the left arm to the bucket and the frame of the machine. The farmer evidently had leaned to the left reaching for something and accidentally tripped the hydraulic lever to lower the bucket. He was dead at the scene. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 64-year-old cattle farmer was checking a grain mill while it was operating at his farm. Apparently he slipped while walking past the machine and fell, the hood on his sweatshirt getting caught in the universal joint on the input power shaft. The machine caused cervical fractures, then jammed causing corn to pile up over the man. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 52-year-old farmer was unloading corn from a grain bin using a PTO driven bottom unloader attached to his tractor. He apparently stepped over the PTO shaft, slipped on some ice, and was caught by his arm on a square section of the shaft close to one end of the shaft. The man became instantly entangled and killed by the spinning PTO. The tractor was still running when the man was found by his wife.

Summary Case Report: 55 -year-old semi truck driver for a battery manufacturing company had just hooked up his tractor to a trailer at a company dock site. The trailer brakes were not engaged to allow the pressure to build up quicker. The man was found dead crushed between the semi-trailer and the loading dock.

Summary Case Report: 46 -year-old surveyor working for an engineering firm was sitting in his survey truck on the shoulder of I-80. His truck was hit in the rear from another semi-tractor pulling a mobile home. The impact sent the survey truck rolling over down an embankment. The driver was killed instantly. Another employee in the passenger seat received minor injuries.

Summary Case Report: 50-year-old construction worker was working for a company that specializes in cleaning up construction sites. He had just reported for work at a construction site and was removing drywall scrap from a basement. He apparently slipped on muddy steps and fell down the steps to the basement and hit his head on the concrete floor, receiving fatal head injuries. A blood alcohol level was 394 mg/dl.

Summary Case Report: 19-year-old worker at a pizza restaurant got into an argument with another employee at the restaurant in the early morning hours. The victim was not working at the time. The argument was about a girlfriend. They came to agreement but the other employee requested as part of the deal for the victim to "take a punch." Apparently, the two men had boxed before and settled disagreements by "taking a punch." This time, the friend punched the victim once in the mid-chest region, and he immediately fell to the floor and had "seizure-like" activity. The punch caused the man's heart to go into arrhythmia and he died.

Summary Case Report: 19-year-old man was helping a relative collect garbage with a new garbage truck. There were two collectors and one truck driver. The man was not employed by the garbage company, and it was against all rules for the man to ride along and help collect garbage. Once while backing up during collection, the victim tried to step on the kicker bar and fell between the bar and the truck, striking his head as he fell. The man was apparently unconscious when the truck backed over him, the dual tires crushing the man's chest.

Summary Case Report: 54-year-old female manager of a tavern was stabbed to death during a robbery at the tavern. Two men are in custody pending trial for first-degree murder. The men did not know the victim, who had been working at the tavern only four months.

Summary Case Report: 62-year-old farmer had just finished spreading dry fertilizer in a field using a tractor pulling a broadcast spreader. The field drive was on top of a hill, so when the farmer pulled out he was going downhill. He turned too far to the side of the road and the right wheel dropped into the ditch. The weight of the spreader, and the downhill momentum pushed the tractor into the ditch and it rolled over 2-3 times. The man's head was crushed during the rollover. The tractor did not have a cab or ROPS.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old sheet metal roofer was one of two men installing a roof for a meat packing plant. While on lunch break, the men noticed a storm approaching, and they went on the roof to retrieve tools they had been using. They then noticed some metal decking that was not secured, and while trying to secure the panels, a strong gust of wind came up and lifted up the panel the men were standing on. The men were blown off the roof with the panel and landed on the dirt surface 35 feet below. The victim suffered fatal head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 46-year-old man was working as a tree trimmer for a small tree trimming service. He was in the bucket of a cherry picker 45-50 feet up trimming branches. Suddenly, the hydraulic arm on the machine apparently failed, and it "bent in two" causing the bucket to fall rapidly towards the ground. The man fell out of the bucket 10 feet above the ground and landed on a concrete surface. He suffered multiple fractures, and died instantly from a ruptured aorta.

Summary Case Report: 37-year-old maintenance man at an ice cream manufacturing plant was evidently working on machinery that used anhydrous ammonia as a coolant. While working on a valve, he was shot in the face with anhydrous ammonia, and inhaled some of it. He reported the incident to a supervisor, but did not seek medical attention. Two days later, he developed progressive shortness of breath and presented to the hospital in major respiratory distress. Despite aggressive treatment, he rapidly went down hill and died the next day from pulmonary complications and pneumonia.

Summary Case Report: 82-year-old cattle farmer was working alone moving corn from a silo on his farm. The floor auger became clogged with clumps of corn and the man entered the silo to break up these lumps. While inside, loose corn stuck to the walls of the silo became dislodged and fell on the man, burying him and suffocating him to death. He was found dead three hours later by family members. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 71 -year-old farmer was removing medium sized trees from a fence line near an intersection. He was using a tractor with a chain to pull the trees over into the ditch next to the fence line. He would connect a chain around the tree to the draw bar, then fell the tree so it falls in the ditch, then pull the tree up out of the ditch. On one tree, it was apparently too large, and although the front wheels were on the road, the rear tires were still in the ditch. The tractor rolled over backwards, instantly killing the farmer. The tractor did not have a ROPS.

Summary Case Report: 47-year-old farmer was using a small tractor to spread chemical fertilizer on a field adjacent to a steep hill. He got too close to the wet, grassy hill, and his rear wheels began to spin out causing the tractor to slide backwards down the hill. At the bottom the tractor hit a tree and rolled over, crushing the farmer underneath. He was found dead a few hours later by men working in the area who noticed the overturned tractor.

Summary Case Report: 52-year-old worker for a small city was one of three men doing sidewalk work at a typical 4-way stop city intersection. Their work zone had a few folding barricades in the street, but the intersection was fully open. A girl pulled up to the corner in a car and stopped. Then a boy chasing her in his car came speeding down the street behind her. He slammed on his brakes, entered the intersection, and crashed through the work zone, hitting and killing one city worker. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 49-year-old worker for a company that renovates railcars had entered an empty tanker car that had been filled with vegetable oil. The car had been routinely purged with nitrogen to displace any oxygen present. The man was found collapsed by another employee, who jumped in to save him. The second man also collapsed, and both men died from suffocation. Both men had years of experience with this company. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 41 -year-old worker at a grain cooperative was working with another man to clean a cement silo that was filled with corn. He apparently fell into the moving corn and was engulfed before the co-worker could do anything.

Summary Case Report: 76 -year-old realtor was murdered in his real estate office by a man who lived in the same apartment building. He was gagged, strangled, and beaten to death. The culprits stole his credit cards and were later seen on camera at a local mall making several purchases.

Summary Case Report: 23 -year-old worker for a roofing company was positioning an aluminum ladder at a residential worksite. The ladder contacted overhead electrical power lines, and the man was electrocuted.

Summary Case Report: 38-year-old mover was helping to unload his company truck on a residential street when he was struck by a car and pinned between the car and his truck. The men were unloading from the side of the truck, but the victim had just opened the rear door to increase ventilation. A female driver was not paying attention, and struck the man breaking both of his legs. The man was rushed to a local hospital, but died from his open fractures and significant bleeding.

Summary Case Report: 42-year-old truckdriver for a feed company was driving his semi with a load of soybean meal. He was traveling on a county highway, a trip he makes on a daily basis. He approached a curve too fast and his truck rolled over in the ditch. The truck plowed forward upside down, filling the cab area with dirt as it came through the front window. The driver was found hanging from his seatbelt with dirt packed around him.

Summary Case Report: 45-year-old truckdriver was driving on an interstate highway and lost control of his truck on a right hand exit. Truck rolled onto the drivers side and the driver was pinned in his cab. He was initially alert, but emergency crews could not free him, nor relieve pressure on his chest from steering wheel. They could not aid his airway and he died at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 38 -year-old construction worker (3 years experience) was helping to unload concrete forms for a residential home project. The forms were transported on a heavy dual-axle semi-trailer. After workers had removed the forms,the victim stepped between the dual tires on the passenger side of the truck to retrieve form clips on the trailer. The driver of the truck did not see the victim and drove off, the wheels catching him on the legs and drawing him under the tires. The man died from head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 70 -year-old salvage worker was using a blow torch to cut apart an old fuel tank at a farm location. The tank had not been used for several years. The tank exploded and caught the mans clothes on fire. He received significant burn injuries and died the next day in the hospital.

Summary Case Report: 53-year-old farmer was parting out an old cab-over semi tractor that a friend had given to him, planning to make it into a trailer for use on the farm. The hydraulics that lift the cab were inoperable, and the cylinder had been disconnected at the cab end. The cab was raised manually and was sitting on the hydraulic cylinder. While working alone under the cab, the cylinder slipped, and the cab came down pinning the man to the frame of the cab. He died immediately from asphyxiation.

Summary Case Report: 38-year-old carpenter was working with a crew to build a motel. It was a very hot and humid day. While working he became overheated and became increasingly uncomfortable, even with rest. He began vomiting and lost consciousness, was taken to a local hospital, but had a temperature of 109 degrees. He died shortly after in the ER. He had a history of heavy alcohol use and uncontrolled blood pressure.

Summary Case Report: 80-year-old farmer was driving a narrow-front tractor down a gravel road, pulling a no-till drill, which he got from the county conservation district. He was planning to seed down an area with prairie grass. He was traveling too fast on the road and the drill began to sway, causing him to lose control of the tractor, which swerved to the right-hand ditch and rolled over. The man was pinned underneath. He was taken to a hospital, but died a few days later of his injuries.

Summary Case Report: 27-year-old farmer was driving an old narrow-front tractor with a front-end loader, moving large bales of hay in a pasture. He was working on a slight slope, and rolled the tractor over, getting pinned and crushed underneath. The front end was raised with a bale while the man was turning around. The tractor did not have a ROPS.

Summary Case Report: 23-year-old construction worker for a fencing company was working on a DOT project, replacing a guardrail along an exit off of Interstate 80. He was kneeling down along the side of the roadway, marking posts for a new bridge guardrail. A co-worker approached driving a skid-steer loader with forklift attachment, carrying a load of guardrail. The load began to tip to the right, struck the victim in the shoulder, knocking him down. Then the load of guardrail fell and pinned the victim's head against the wooden posts, causing fatal head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 52-year-old pilot for a commercial passenger and cargo company was flying a twin-engine airplane from Chicago to Dubuque. The plane crashed on a gravel road in heavy fog a few miles from the airport. The plane was empty of any cargo. Investigation failed to find any mechanical reasons for the crash and the man was in good health. He had six years of flying experience with this company and was also a flight instructor. He was flying under IFR rules at the time of the accident.

Summary Case Report: 31-year-old worker for a dairy farm was climbing a cement silo to check how full it was. The victim and others were filling the silo with cracked corn. Apparently the victim slipped off a step and fell within the ladder chute of the silo. He was found 10 minutes later on the ground. He was initially responsive, but soon died from internal injuries.

Summary Case Report: 40-year-old construction worker was one of five men working to free a semi-trailer stuck in the mud at a quarry worksite. The trailer (contained explosives) was resting on its dolly, which was sitting on 12" by 12" timbers stuck in the mud. The victim was under the front end of the trailer, working with a chain attached to a front-end loader, trying re-position the cribbing. Suddenly, one cribbing timber snapped and the trailer started to slowly sink on one side. The foreman shouted for workers to run, and the victim started his escape. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong direction, and was pinned to the ground by the trailer as one corner came to rest on the ground. Other workers were not injured.

Summary Case Report: 60-year-old hobby farmer was using a borrowed skid-steer loader to smooth out an area of ground for a foundation for a barn. He attached four 100-lb. tractor counterweights to the rear of the loader with a log chain. Once when he had the large front bucket full of dirt, the weights fell off, and the jolt threw the man and his seat forward out of the machine. The raised bucket immediately fell and crushed him against the frame. He was not found for several hours. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 63-year-old truckdriver was driving his tractor-trailer rig on an interstate highway in the early morning hours. The truck left the roadway and rolled, the driver suffering blunt force injuries to the chest. He was wearing a seat belt. He died later that day.

Summary Case Report: 48-year-old truckdriver was operating a semi-trailer on an interstate when he crashed at full highway speed into the rear of another semi-truck which had recently entered the roadway from a rest area. The truck veered to its left, entered the median, and burst into flames, killing the driver. The other truck was traveling approximately 40 MPH.

Summary Case Report: 39-year-old female truckdriver working for a food company was hauling a load of food on her normal night route, pulling a reefer trailer. She came around a curve on an interstate highway as it passed through a larger city, and slammed into the rear of another semi which was almost stopped on the roadway, moving slowly to see if it could pass under an overpass. She was killed instantly. The truck in front was carrying new tractors on a flatbed, and the driver was concerned that the exhaust stacks from the tractors would hit the overpass. Also, a portion of the tractor extended over the rear edge of the trailer and blocked some of the truck's lighting. The victim had 2 years experience with this company and was an excellent driver.

Summary Case Report: 25-year-old tree excavator was using a new skid-steer loader to clear cedar trees in a ditch for a farmer. He had a tree-cutting attachment on the front of the loader, with pinchers and cutting capability. While working, he was cutting a tree which was too big for the pinchers, so he cut it high about 3-4 foot off the ground. He was on a steep slope, facing downhill, and when the tree was cut, it fell to the side causing his loader to tip forward, downhill. The loader tilted forward and partially overturned in the ditch. Unfortunately, it landed on top of the stump he had just cut, which fit between the sides of the ROPS cage, pinning the operator to the seat, with the weight of the loader on his back. The seat actuated safety was operational and would not allow rescuers to start the machine when they arrived. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 57-year-old farmer was driving his tractor down a 2-lane state highway, pulling a grain mixer. He had no lights on the rear of the mixer, and was struck from behind by a van, which caused the mixer to become detached. The tractor was pushed into the ditch where it rolled over, crushing the farmer.

Summary Case Report: 45-year-old truckdriver was driving a semi-trailer tanker carrying load of gasoline when he crashed into the rear of a Jeep on an interstate, late at night. The truck veered into the median, rolled over, and burst into flames. The driver was trapped in the cab and died from the fire. The other driver escaped with minor injuries.

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old farmer was driving an all-terrain vehicle down a rural county road when he entered an intersection without stopping, and crashed into the side of a pickup truck. The man suffered multiple injuries, and had a heart attack while in the emergency room receiving treatment.

Summary Case Report: 32-year-old car detailer had just picked up a car driving it back to the car dealer where he worked. He was on an interstate when a vehicle pulled into his lane forcing him to enter the median. His car became airborne, and the driver was ejected because he was not wearing a seatbelt. He was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 61-year-old owner of an auto repair shop was working on a gas tank which had recently been removed from a car. The owner of the car was helping him. Fumes from the tank evidently traveled to a water heater, causing an explosion, which consumed the shop in fire. The back door of the shop had been permanently closed due to vandalism, and there was no escape. Both men died from severe burns.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old truckdriver was riding a semi truck with a partner from his company. The victim was sleeping in the sleeper compartment, while his friend was driving. The driver took an exit too fast, being blinded by oncoming car lights, and rolled off the shoulder of the exit, the truck rolling on its side. The victim was ejected and crushed under the truck.

Summary Case Report: 25-year-old tower specialist was working constructing a new tower for a communications company. He was working at 140 feet when he fell to the ground, apparently while changing his position on the tower. He was wearing a harness, but no lifelines were attached.

Summary Case Report: 73-year-old farmer was disassembling a farm wagon at his farm, when the reach (tongue) of the wagon fell on his chest. The man died an hour later from blunt chest trauma.

Summary Case Report: 58-year-old self-employed logger was working on private property removing trees. He was using a logging skidder, which apparently overturned on him, crushing his pelvis and causing extensive internal injury. He was taken to local hospital, then transferred to a regional hospital. He died on the way due to internal bleeding complicated by a previous heart condition.

Summary Case Report: 67-year-old aide for a nursing home was on an errand in an automobile driving north when she drove into the path of a train heading west. She evidently did not stop at the stop sign before the tracks. She died instantly from head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old brick layer was on a scaffold doing tuck pointing for an old church building. For an unknown reason he fell 10 feet off the scaffold onto the ground and landed on his head and shoulder. He died from head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 75-year-old farmer was found dead next to a silo ladder on his farm, and had evidently fallen from the ladder. The event was unwitnessed, sometime in the afternoon. He died from blunt trauma to the head.

Summary Case Report: 23-year-old construction worker was a passenger in a pickup truck traveling on a 2-lane county road. The driver, traveling at high speed, apparently tried to beat a train at a train crossing. He lost. The truck was struck on the passenger side and the victim was killed instantly from severe chest injury.

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old driver for a heavy construction company was driving a 3-axle truck down a county gravel road when a man driving another 3-axle truck did not yield at an intersection, and crashed into the drivers' side of his truck. Both vehicles went into the ditch. The victim's truck rolled over and he was crushed across the chest by the cab.

Summary Case Report: 45-year-old truckdriver was driving a semi-trailer rig down an interstate highway when he apparently took a right hand exit too fast, causing the truck to roll over onto the driver's side. The driver was trapped inside the cab and died from his injuries.

Summary Case Report: 52-year-old railroad engineer was driving a pickup truck when he did not stop at a stop sign, at an intersection with a gravel road. He drove through the intersection, and ironically collided with a stationary train sitting on tracks adjacent to the intersection. The victim drove into the side of a stationary train and was pinned against his steering wheel with multiple blunt force injuries.

Summary Case Report: 65-year-old attorney had been suffering from depression and committed suicide in his office with a handgun.

Summary Case Report: 57-year-old farmer was mowing tall grass with a tractor when he hit a piece of machinery, which was hidden in the grass. The tractor rolled completely over, crushing the man. The tractor did not have a ROPS.