Employees Injured in Armored car Ambush, Fireworks

Safety at Work

Atlanta, GA (WorkersCompensation.com) – An armored vehicle employee transporting currency was injured when he was ambushed by a man outside of a Kroger store.

Police said the man attempted to rob the armored car driver. Officials said the suspect fired at the victim, grazing his head, and then fled in his car with a bag of money estimated to contain about $50,000. Atlanta Police said the accident happened around 9 a.m. on Monday.

Officials said the armored truck driver was alert and breathing when first responders arrived. The driver was taken to the hospital for treatment as a guard was placed on his truck. The suspect fled the scene in his car but was later involved in a car wreck. Forest Park Police responded to the wreck and arrested him after confirming his identity at the scene.

Kroger released a statement on the incident.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim, as well as the victim’s family and friends. The safety and security of our customers and associates remain our top priority. We are deeply grateful to local authorities for their swift response, and will continue to refer all questions to them as they lead this investigation,” the Cincinnati-based company said.

In Worcester, Mass., a fireworks show at Polar Park, home of the WooSox minor league baseball team, was stopped mid-show after they were injured.

Officials said in a press release that fireworks technicians activated a safety switch to stop the display after several of the fireworks in centerfield tipped over on their side and launched horizontally toward left field instead of into the air. The display ended a little over 7 minutes into an 11-minute display.

Officials said one employee assigned to guard a fan “Safety zone” received a superficial burn and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The employee returned to the park later that evening. The second employee was working on the field to protect the grounds and was struck by debris. That employee was examined but remained on the field.

In Las Vegas, an employee of Elon Musk’s The Boring Company was injured in a crushing incident inside a tunnel.

According to Clark County Fire Department, the employee was injured on Sept. 10 shortly after 10 p.m.

“CCFD Crews descended to the tunnel opening and contacted the patient, then began assessing his injuries before packaging him in a stokes basket for safe transport. A stokes basket is a sturdy wire or plastic litter designed for transporting injured people in difficult terrain or confined spaces,” Clark County Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Carlito Rayos said.

Officials said the injured worker was lifted out of the tunnel by an on-site crane and then transported to a nearby hospital. Operations at the tunnel site were temporarily halted pending an investigation.

The Boring Company operates the Las Vegas Loop, a subterranean public transit system that uses Tesla vehicles to transport passengers around the Las Vega Convention Center. The loop is currently expanding to connect to the Harry Reid International Airport and the Strip.

The initial LVCC Loop opened in June 2021 and connects three stations with nearly one mile of tunnels. The broader Vega Loop is planned to have more than 65 miles of tunnels and 93 stations, with a goal of having fully an autonomous, high-speed, point-to-point system underground to reduce traffic on Las Vegas roads.

Reports show that at least 36 workers have been injured while working on the underground project. Between 15 to 20 workers were chemically burned in 2023. An anonymous tip to Nevada OSHA said the employees were burned by chemical accelerants in the tunnels. OSHA later confirmed the workers were exposed to the chemicals because they lacked appropriate personal protective equipment and emergency showers. Reports indicate the number of injuries may have been higher because the investigation only looked into injuries that were reported. Other injuries included heat exhaustion and crushed limbs. OSHA cited the company and fined them more than $100,000 for the incidents.

The Boring Company has disputed OSHA’s findings.

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