Iowa FACE Fatality Summaries: 2003

4-digit SOC coding from Standard Occupational Classification Manual. 1980. Washington, D.C., U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards : [Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., distributor].

Summary Case Report: 25-year-old man was working for a meat packing plant when he acquired some form of back strain and was sent home. He was in and out of the hospital, and was on restricted work duty. He apparently received back surgery during this time, then died from complications of this surgery. Little more is known about this case.

Summary Case Report: 48-year-old sales representative for a paper products company was driving a minivan north on a 2-lane highway, which was snow and ice covered. A pickup truck traveling south crossed the centerline and hit the van nearly head on, and the victim was killed at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old worker for a glass products company was driving a large van making a delivery when he apparently fell asleep at the wheel and drove off the road into a tree. He received multiple fractures and died from a head injury.

Summary Case Report: 56-year-old worker for a farm cooperative was normally a driver for farm spraying operations. He was a passenger in a car traveling on rural gravel roads when the car collided with another car at an unprotected gravel / gravel intersection. The man received multiple fractures and died from a severe head injury.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old Hispanic material handler for a cold storage company fell 15 feet off a catwalk and suffered a serious head injury. He died later from an intracranial hematoma.

Summary Case Report: 26-year-old church administrator was helping a volunteer custodian while cutting down a tree on church property. The victim handed a chain saw up to the custodian, who then climbed up an extension ladder to about 18-20 feet. The man cut partially through an 11-inch diameter branch, then looked around and did not see the victim anywhere, and finished his cut. The branch fell and hit the victim on the head and shoulders, causing massive head injuries. The man was killed at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 45-year-old deputy sheriff was assisting other officers involved in a high speed chase on a state highway at night time. The victim had just put down a spike system in the roadway to stop the suspect. He was then hit by another police vehicle traveling at a high speed. His body was thrown 200 feet and landed in a residential area.

Summary Case Report: 67-year-old farmer was trying to thaw a frozen well pipe for a ground-level livestock watering trough on his farm. He was found dead partially in the trough with 110 volt extension cords arcing next to his body. He was evidently electrocuted by the wires, which then started a fire in the surrounding grass.

Summary Case Report: 52-year-old farmer got into a heated land dispute with a neighbor farmer, who resolved the matter by shooting the man in the head with a rifle at close range. The victim's body was dumped down a nearby well, but was later discovered by police. The other farmer was charged and later convicted of first-degree murder.

Summary Case Report: 48-year-old farmer was working at another farm removing corm from a silo. He was missing for a few hours and coworkers could find him. They eventually found him in the silo where he was working. He apparently had climbed the silo to dislodge something and fell head first into the corn. Another theory is that crusted over corn fell on top of him. He died from asphyxiation.

Summary Case Report: 36-year-old state lobbyist was traveling to the capitol on a 4-lane road. He lost control of his leased pickup truck on the icy road and entered the ditch and rolled the truck. He was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old farmer was retrieving hay from the top of his barn when he fell eight feet to the ground and received severe head injuries. The area in the hay loft was quite dark due to a burned out light bulb.

Summary Case Report: 43-year-old large-animal veterinarian was driving in a rural area in a pickup truck when he slid on ice and collided with a milk truck. The man was killed at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 41-year-old truckdriver was driving on an interstate when he passed another semi truck on the highway. The man pulled too far to the right side after he passed the truck and hit a car parked on the shoulder. His truck went into the ditch, then struck a tree causing damage to his cab. The man died from multiple blunt trauma.

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old dump truck driver for a construction company was traveling on a rural road fully loaded with rock and gravel. At an intersection he collided nearly head-on with a pickup truck and the dump truck immediately burst into flames. The pickup truck driver was a farmer who was going to get a new drive belt for a piece of machinery, and he was also killed in the collision. (see 3IA1502)

Summary Case Report: 77-year-old farmer was working with his cattle in a field. The cattle were running through a farm gate, when apparently the gate hit the farmer in the head. He was found unconscious, and later died from intracranial injuries.

Summary Case Report: 33-year-old female truckdriver was driving a semi trailer on a 2-lane highway when she apparently fell asleep and crossed the centerline striking a straight truck nearly head on in the opposite lane. The woman was killed at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 24-year-old truckdriver for a bread company was driving a straight truck in heavy fog. A semi truck had just pulled out of a gravel driveway and both drivers did not see other until they collided nearly head on. The bread truck driver received fatal head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 55-year-old female flight instructor for the Civil Air Patrol was conducting a training flight. She was in the co-pilot seat of a single engine airplane, which had just taken off. The plane suddenly crashed after takeoff and lost its right wing. The woman was killed in the crash from head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 14-year-old boy and his grandfather were using a small tractor to help clear a piece of pasture land, moving junk and pulling old fence posts. They were using the 3-point hitch to pull posts, but found one which was stubborn. The grandfather than resorted to an old trick he learned from his father, which was to use the rear wheel to pull the post. The tractor, driven by the boy, was backed up to the post and a small chain was wrapped around the bottom of the post and the other end looped over a lug on the tire. As the tractor pulled forward, the tire would pull the post up and out at the same time. This post did not budge, however, and the tractor rolled over backwards, and the boy was crushed. The tractor originally had a ROPS on it, but it had been removed before the family bought the machine. A new roll bar was welded and attached to the old supports for the previous ROPS, but several long bolts were missing and the attachment was not as strong as it should have been. Therefore, when the tractor overturned, the new roll bar stayed intact, but snapped off the axle housings where it was attached. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 39-year-old welder was working on a personnel platform attached to a boom forklift truck. He was part of a 3-man crew installing a new ladder and catwalk for a wood products company. The work platform was fully raised straight up in the air, and the machine operator was using the frame tilt function (sway control) hydraulic control to make minor left and right adjustments of the platform. Once while making an adjustment, the platform went to the far right position, and the victim fell off the platform and landed 20 feet below on a catwalk. He received head injuries and was dead at the scene. The platform did not have guardrails all the way around, and the left side where the man fell was unprotected. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 56-year-old farmer was using a small tractor to pull a cut log out of a ravine. The tractor was facing slightly uphill, and had a 30-foot steel cable attached from the top hole of the 3-point hitch to the log. When the farmer tried to pull the log, the front end of the tractor flew up and the tractor rolled over backwards, killing the operator. It was determined that the hitch point was too high for the tractor being used.

Summary Case Report: 57-year-old butcher was preparing sausage where he worked in a grocery store. He was found unconscious on the floor by a coworker, and was declared dead when taken to a local hospital. Investigation revealed the floor was wet and slippery, and the man was wearing very worn and smooth-bottomed shoes. Autopsy revealed a posterior cranial injury consistent with falling backwards and hitting his head on the concrete floor.

Summary Case Report: 65-year-old owner of an engine rebuilding company was using a crane to lift a counterweight. He gave the controls to his son, then went to guide the load. Suddenly the boom gave way and fell on him causing intra-thoracic injuries. He died a few hours later in the hospital.

Summary Case Report: 86-year-old farmer was burning brush on a vacated farm when the fire got away from him. A passerby discovered the fire and the victim dead in the midst of the fire.

Summary Case Report: 79-year-old commercial painter was using a tractor to remove a tree stump next to a home. In the process the tractor rolled over, causing significant injuries and fractures. The man was taken to a hospital and was apparently doing well a few days later, but he suddenly collapsed once while walking. The cause of death was pulmonary embolus due to multiple blunt force injuries.

Summary Case Report: 68-year-old employee of an agricultural cooperative was working with a younger man to fill an anhydrous ammonia nurse tank. A welded seam on the bottom of the tank failed releasing a huge amount of anhydrous ammonia under pressure toward the ground. The explosive force created a hole six feet wide and 28 inches deep! The explosion created a large cloud of toxic gas, and the victim and his friend received extensive burn injuries and were rushed to a local hospital. The younger man eventually recovered, but the victim died from severe inhalation burns and secondary pneumonia.
Complete report and photographs

Summary Case Report: 70-year-old farmer was helping other men move machinery when he was found with injuries from a run over. The incident was unwitnessed, but he may have been run over by an implement or anhydrous tank that had recently been unhooked from a tractor.

Summary Case Report: 77-year-old man was working at a tire recycling plant. He was using a forklift to load heavy bundles of shredded tires onto a flatbed trailer. He reached under the load to get a strap and the top bundle of tires (estimate 1 ton in weight) fell on him causing extensive crush injuries to his chest and abdominal areas. He died within the hour at a local hospital. It was his second day on the job.

Summary Case Report: 82-year-old worker for a country club was mowing the grass with a tractor when he apparently hit a tree and was thrown off the tractor. He was found pinned under the tractor, dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 32-year-old barge worker was on the stern of a barge as it was moving through a lock on the Mississippi River. He was tending a 2-4 inch diameter nylon rope used to secure the barge while going through the locks. Apparently, the barge pulled forward before the rope was thrown off, and the rope snapped back hitting the victim in the head. He suffered massive head injuries and was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 33-year-old electrician was working in the ceiling area of a water treatment plant, which was heavily contaminated with feces from mice. A few days later the man developed sudden onset of multiple symptoms, including respiratory distress. A few more days he presented with severe respiratory distress, and was admitted to the hospital, where he rapidly went downhill and died a few hours after admission. He had multiple systemic and respiratory symptoms and pathology, including a positive diagnosis for hanta virus infection. It is assumed this virus was acquired from his occupational exposure, but this cannot be proven.

Summary Case Report: 74-year-old farmer was working with his grandson clearing some tree branches on his farm. He was driving a tractor, which somehow rolled on top of him. The man was crushed by the tractor and died at the scene. The grandson ran for help and called 911.

Summary Case Report: 20-year-old sanitation worker was collecting garbage on his usual route when he was approached by a neighbor and shot twice with a shotgun. The man died at the scene. His attacker was angry because he thought the victim had broke into his grandmother's house the night before. He was charged with first-degree murder.

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old maintenance man for a private land developer was repairing a tractor in a machine shed. The tractor had a "wishbone bracket" that was underneath the front end, and the man was putting in new bolts to hold on this bracket. He got 2 of the 3 bolts in and needed to raise the tractor off the ground to relieve pressure on the front axle, so he was going to use the front bucket to push down and raise the front wheels off the ground. He assumed the tractor was in neutral and started it from the ground position, and the tractor immediately started in first gear and ran over him, then plowed into the wall at the end of the room. The land owner was nearby and went to his aid, but the man had received fatal injuries. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 28-year-old district manager for a satellite TV company was conducting an interview with a prospective employee. While in town he also used his company truck to pick up a disabled company pickup truck, and it was in tow behind his own truck. After his interview, he needed to make some adjustments with the truck in tow, and the other man volunteered his personal tools for the job. They went to his home and the victim began to re-position the truck in tow on the dolly. Then the other man arrived with tools and the victim immediately began to work on removing the drive shaft, relying completely on the parking brake of the truck to hold it in position. The parking brake was defective, however, and while the man was working underneath the truck, it rolled down the ramp on the dolly and crushed the man in the chest area.
Complete report and photographs

Summary Case Report: 16-year-old farm boy was driving a team of horses pulling a cultivator down a grass farm lane. For an unknown reason the horses spooked, and the boy fell off and was run over by the cultivator. He died at the scene from closed head injuries.

Summary Case Report: 66-year-old farmer was driving a tractor pulling an empty grain wagon, having just delivered corn to town. He was returning on a county road when a van slammed into the rear of his tractor, causing extensive damage to the cab area of the tractor. The farmer was killed instantly.

Summary Case Report: 70-year-old farmer was using a borrowed skid steer loader to do some custom work at a construction site. He was moving a pile of dirt, and apparently tried to exit the loader while it was still running and must have activated the hand controls on his way out, for the loader had lurched forward and ran over him causing severe head and chest injuries. The man was accustomed to using his own skid loader with foot controls, but borrowed this machine which had only hand controls. He was working alone and the event was unwitnessed.

Summary Case Report: 31-year-old worker at a large farm was repairing a 11,000 gallon gas tank. He entered the tank to work on it and passed out from gas fumes present inside. The man was dead at the scene from asphyxiation.

Summary Case Report: 52-year-old farmer was using an older tractor to grade land for use as a farm pond. He lost footing on the soft ground and rolled the tractor over on himself. The man was working alone and was found dead by his family.

Summary Case Report: 64-year-old cattle farmer with a history of depression had recently read an article about an accidental fatal injection of another cattleman with an antibiotic frequently used in cattle operations. The victim chose to commit suicide by intentional injection at his farm.

Summary Case Report: 19-year-old construction worker was with a crew of four other men disassembling a large peg barn, to be moved and rebuilt at another location. They were using a boom forklift truck, which was rented locally. They were lowering one section of the large rafters, and the victim rode up on the forks of the machine, tied on nylon slings, then rode down with the load. While the rafter piece was coming down, the load and the machine and the victim fell to the left side, and the victim rode down for a while, then jumped off into a grassy area. He received fatal internal injuries and died soon after while in the hospital. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 45-year-old man, son of a farmer, was helping cut down trees on his dad's farm. The man was driving an older, widefront tractor with bale forks attached to the front end loader. He was parked on a slope and was using the elevated bucket of the tractor to help guide the fall direction of a tree they were cutting. When the tree fell, it went in the opposite direction and pulled the tractor over on its side causing it to rollover the victim. The operator was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 40-year-old owner of a general automobile repair shop was welding on an old fuel oil barrel that he used to store waste engine oil. The barrel had a bung hole that had broken and the man was repairing it. He had recently put fresh used oil in the barrel, which is assumed, contained dissolved gasoline. When the gasoline evaporated, it filled the barrel with an explosive mixture. When he first began welding, the tank blew up and covered the man and his shop with burning oil. The man received extensive 3rd degree burns and died a few hours later. Complete report and photographs

Summary Case Report: 31-year-old cement truckdriver was driving a fully loaded truck down a state highway when he experienced a tire blowout. His truck skidded, then swerved into a bridge guardrail and fell 20 down into a creek. The driver was thrown 20 feet from his truck and was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 61-year-old truckdriver for a crane service was driving a large crane on the shoulder of an interstate highway about to re-enter traffic. When he did so at low speed, he was hit by a semi from behind, which knocked his crane into the ditch, causing extensive damage to the cab area of the crane. The victim was partially ejected and received multiple blunt force injuries and died at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 79-year-old farmer was driving a tractor on a county road pulling a mower when the mower slid into the ditch, pulling the tractor with it. The tractor rolled over on the farmer and crushed his chest. He was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 46-year-old tanker truckdriver was driving from one state highway to another and was evidently going too fast when he entered a ramp. His truck turned over on the ramp and went into the ditch where it burst into flames. The driver received burns on 81% of his body and was taken to a hospital, where he died the next day. The truck was carrying 10,000 gallons of gasoline.

Summary Case Report: 74-year-old farmer was raking hay with his son. He was driving an old Farmall M tractor with hay rake attached. The son went to have lunch and the victim kept working. They were in a terraced field. The victim backed the tractor over a portion of the terrace and the tractor rolled over on him. His son rushed to aid him, and he was conscious for a while and talking, but when help arrived, he had died.

Summary Case Report: 82-year-old farmer was driving a tractor from one farm to another on a rural road. The road was being repaired at the time, and at one point he pulled to the right to let a car pass. He went too far to the right, and entered soft soil on the shoulder and the tractor rolled over in the ditch, killing the man.

Summary Case Report: 22-year-old man was one of eight men injured in an explosion at a soybean processing production plant. The plant had been shut down for maintenance. The men went to investigate a report from other workers that they smelled hexane, which was used to extract soybean oil from the beans. While in the midst of their investigation, an explosion occurred in the area, and the men all ran out of the building, some of them on fire. The two victims were severely burned and later died.

Summary Case Report: 45-year-old maintenance mechanic was working at a manufacturing plant that made grain bins. He was helping another man trying to lift a 4,000 pound jig that was part of the manufacturing process, used to rotate the bins. The jig had its own system to right itself, but it was not working properly, and the men were trying to reconfigure a pulley, cable, and hydraulic cylinder so that it might work better. Once, the victim tried to lift and hold the jig by himself, and the jig fell on him, causing fatal injuries.

Summary Case Report: 46-year-old farmer was working with a skid-steer loader in his farmyard, moving a pile of corn fines out to a field location. The fines had accumulated from an overhead auger from some grain bins to his grain dryer, which was in operation. While using the skid loader, he backed into the propane tank that was feeding the dryer, knocking it off its concrete block foundation. The LP tank hit a utility pole and bent a valve on the top, which caused propane to leak out of the tank. The farmer was using his skid loader to attempt to re-position the tank onto the cement blocks. The bucket was raised over one end of the tank, apparently in preparation of raising that end of the tank, which was nearly empty and quite light weight. The farmer was found by a propane delivery man, crushed between the left lift arm and the frame of the machine. It's assumed he must have heard or smelled the propane leak and quickly exited the loader to fix the leak or shut off the dryer, and in the process, inadvertently actuated a control to lower the lift arms. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 53-year-old construction worker was part of a 6-man crew in the initial preparation stages of a new bridge project for a rural road. He was working with another man who was operating a rough terrain boom forklift truck. The men unloaded a hydraulic pump and were getting it ready to place in a wet area, working underneath overhead power lines. They were using an 18 foot long steel cable to suspend the pump from the forks of the machine. At one point the operator asked if he was clear of the wires and the victim gave him the thumbs-up sign. Then the forks came into contact with the 12,000-volt power line, and electricity traveled down the cable and through the hydraulic hoses to reach the victim who was standing on the ground. He was killed instantly and the electricity started a grass fire in the area. Full Report

Summary Case Report: 60-year-old farmer was working with his son putting in a fence post. He was driving a tractor with the front end bucket filled with dirt. He positioned the bucket on the post, which the son was holding, and used the hydraulics to push it in the ground. The post slipped out and the bucket slammed downward with sufficient force and momentum that the rear of the tractor popped up, and the tractor rolled over to the front-right side on the slope, and the operator was killed in the rollover. Complete report and photographs

Summary Case Report: 35-year-old warehouse worker was operating a narrow aisle standup reach forklift going in reverse when he entered a T-intersection and crashed into an empty rack beam, which pinned him to the rear of the forklift mast, crushing him. The machine did not malfunction, and it is assumed he simply was distracted and not watching where he was going. Complete report and photographs

Summary Case Report: 42-year-old hog confinement farmer was cleaning out an empty hog building. He had recently agitated the pit of manure to take a sample, then some time after that went into the building to retrieve a dead hog that was in an alleyway. While pulling the hog out of the building with a rope, he was overcome by gases in the building and died. He was found dead by a family member. Since the building was empty, the windows were closed and the fans were turned off. Complete report and photographs

Summary Case Report: 46-year-old worker for a lawn service company was driving a company truck pulling a trailer loaded with lawn mowers, gas cans, etc. For an unknown reason, he went through a stop sign at a T-intersection, entered the ditch, hit a tree and his vehicle burst into flame. The man was pulled from the wreckage by other motorists and he was taken to a hospital, but he died from severe internal injuries.

Summary Case Report: 67-year-old farmer was using a skid steer loader to position grain wagons in a machine shed. He was done with the wagons and was storing them in the building for the winter. He had dropped off one wagon near the doorway of the shed, and was using the loader bucket to push the wagon backwards by the tongue. He was apparently trying to operate the loader while standing on the ground, when the control that raises the bucket became stuck. He must have fallen into the bucket, which continued to rise until it crushed the man against the bottom of the doorway header. He was found dead by his wife.
Full Report

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old diving instructor was teaching two students at a rock quarry. He had been swimming for 15 minutes, then put on gear and dove with another man for 15-20 minutes. He He swam to the surface and told the other man that something was wrong. He barely made it back to shore, then began having frothy sputum and other symptoms---said this had happened before and he needed Lasix. Rescue arrived and took him to a hospital, where he was aggressively treated for pulmonary edema. The man died within the hour from barotrauma, one type of diving sickness also called "bubble trouble".

Summary Case Report: 84-year-old farmer was driving a 1991 tractor pulling two grain wagons. He apparently was not paying attention to traffic rules and drove through a 4-way stop sign without slowing. An eyewitness followed and passed him, waiting for him to stop so she could remind him to stop at intersections. Suddenly the farmer attempted to turn left into a farm field driveway, and was struck by a semi pulling a grain trailer who was traveling behind the tractor and was passing him at the moment. The semi hit and totally demolished the tractor, and the farmer was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 60-year-old maintenance crew member was working with others with maintenance of way equipment on a curve when a freight train was approaching. The train blew its whistle, but the man did not hear it, nor did he hear friends yelling at him, and he was struck and killed by the freight train.

Summary Case Report: 69-year-old farmer was driving a tractor with a front end loader filled with dirt, doing some landscaping work. He backed up an incline and the tractor rolled over on him, crushing him in the chest region. He was dead at the scene.

Summary Case Report: 40-year-old farmer was working alone on his farm, using an old skid-steer in the barnyard. This machine was very old, and in poor condition, and did not have any sort of cage or protective structure on it. The man was found dead by his wife, pinned between the loader frame and the lift-arms.

Summary Case Report: 67-year-old farmer was working to remove a tree next to a building on a hill. After the tree was down, he hooked a chain to the log and the other end to the front end bucket of his tractor. He was backing down the steep hill pulling the tree when the tree began to slide down the hill. The tree then pulled his tractor over on top of the man. The older tractor did not have a ROPS, which is typical for these machines.

Summary Case Report: 39-year-old machine operator was working with a large molding machine at an aluminum casting company, when he was found trapped / pinned inside the machine. Apparently the lockout function of the machine had been manually disabled, making it possible to enter the machine while it was in operation. He received crushing chest injuries.

Summary Case Report: 37-year-old maintenance man at an aluminum casting company was greasing a conveyor belt bearing while the belt was running. He did not turn off the belt or lock out power to the belt before he began work. He was caught by the belt which caused fatal injuries, and thrown into a hopper, where he was discovered by another employee.

Summary Case Report: 31-year-old truckdriver was driving on an interstate highway when he apparently fell asleep and crossed the opposing lanes and ran into the ditch. His cab was severely damaged and the man was dead at the scene from crushing chest injuries.

Summary Case Report: 45-year-old laborer for a tower erection company was working on a 95 foot tall tower for a cellular phone company. He had changed positions and hooked his lifeline to the wrong angle iron, one that was not secure. He apparently slipped or used the lifeline for support and the angle iron gave way, and he fell 95 to the ground. No drugs or ethanol was involved, and no citations were issued by OSHA. The man had over five years experience.

Summary Case Report: An airplane from a private air charter was taking two men on a business trip to Chicago from a location in Minnesota. The men were working for a company which manufactured conveyor belts for sand and gravel companies. The plane encountered blizzard conditions and went south into Iowa to find warmer weather to prevent the wings from icing up. The airplane went down in a farm field, and all three men were instantly killed. On the plane was a 31-year-old vice president of the conveyor manufacturing company (01), a 44-year-old airplane pilot (02), and a 34-year-old project manager for the company (03). The cause of the crash is still unknown.

Summary Case Report: 23-year-old worker for a large hog confinement facility was driving a tractor from one farm location to another. He went into the ditch and rolled the tractor, which killed the operator. The tractor did have a ROPS installed, and it was a collapsible type, but it was in the down position. The man was not wearing a seat belt and was crushed under the tractor's rear tire as it rolled. Complete report and photographs

Summary Case Report: 18-year-old boy was working for his father, who owned a grass care company. He was driving a car to pick up other employees when he lost control on a gravel road and rolled into the ditch. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown out of the vehicle and killed.