Workers Killed by Hit and Run, Tesla, Train in Separate Accidents

Safety at Work

Columbus, OH (WorkersCompensation.com) -- A construction worker hit by a vehicle is one of several workers killed on the job recently.

Police said the worker was working in a construction zone on I-70 in downtown Columbus, Ohio when he was hit by a 2000s model maroon Toyota sedan. Officials said the vehicle swerved to the right and struck the construction worker and a generator. The vehicle fled the scene after the incident.

Officials pronounced the worker dead at the scene. The police department’s Accident Investigation Unit responded to the scene. Neither the driver nor the victim have been identified.

In San Leandro, Cal., a worker unloading a semi-truck was killed when he was hit by an out-of-control Tesla, police said.

Investigators said the man and the semi-truck were parked on Doolittle Drive in San Leandro on Tuesday, Feb. 24. A white Tesla Model 3 collided with a red Dodge Ram truck. That incident caused the Tesla to veer out of control into the rear of the semi-truck where the worker was standing.

Officials said the man suffered fatal injuries as a result of the crash, and died.

“Neither driver of the involved vehicles sustained any injuries, and both remained on scene to speak with investigators. The exact cause of the initial collision is still under investigation, but no impairment is suspected of either driver at this time,” San Leandro police told KRON4.

In Brooklyn, N.Y., a construction worker died in a trench collapse at a work site.

Police said two construction workers were trapped in a hole at 174 Jefferson Street after a trench at the job site collapsed. The Department of Buildings said the work site was a two-story dwelling under an active permit for foundation work. Inspectors said a portion of the rubble foundation had collapsed injuring the two workers and trapping them under the building.

Both of the workers were pulled from the hole and taken to local hospitals. One of the workers later died

Officials said the incident remains under investigation by the Department of Buildings.

In East Lampeter Township, Penn., an Amtrak employee is dead after being struck by a train.

The Lancaster County Coroner said Jeremy Charles, 39, of Holtwood, was working with a crew on train tracks when he was struck by the train. Officials said first responders were called to the scene around 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 23. Although emergency medical services were dispatched to the incident, Charles was declared dead at the scene.

The coroner’s office said it will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. The NTSB also sent a team to Lancaster County to investigate the incident.

The rail road company expressed its sympathy to Charles’ family.

“Amtrak extends our profound condolences to the family of an employee who suffered a fatal injury today on the Harrisburg Line near Lancaster, Pa,” an Amtrak spokesperson wrote in an unsigned statement sent to LancasterOnline. “Our thoughts are with their loved ones during this difficult time.”

The company said it stopped all service along the Keystone route, which runs from Harrisburg to Philadelphia, was suspended for the day.

An employee’s death is being investigated in Pontotoc Ohio, Okla., after crews found him stuck in a pump jack at the Citation Oil and Gas Corporation.

Officials said the worker died Feb. 20, in the morning. The unnamed worker had been working on the pump jack when he somehow got caught in the mechanism and killed. The Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation into his death continues.

And in Maine, two Department of Transportation workers were killed in an overpass crash in mid-January.

James Brown, 60, and Dwayne Campbell ,51, were working on the overpass bridge in Waterville Maine, when they and another worker were hit by a minivan. Brown and Campbell were both killed in the crash.

On Saturday, transportation departments from across New England sent vehicles to Waterville to honor Brown and Campbell, as well as others who have lost their lives in work zones.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills said the men gave of themselves at work.

“Dwayne and Jimmy’s friends, family, and coworkers say they were both good friends, and good guys, always out on the roads even on the coldest winter or the hottest summer days,” Mills said.

MaineDOT Commissioner Dale Doughty said it was important for drivers to pay attention and slowdown in work zones to prevent further deaths.

“No sign, barrier, truck can provide the same level of safety that just a prudent driver can,” Doughty said.

He asked Maine residents to remember the sacrifice that public workers face keeping the state’s roads safe.

“Our love and the depths of our grief today speaks to the depth of our love for Dwayne and Jimmy. Please help us carry forward their memory, not only with tears, but with action,” Doughty said.

The driver in the crash has charges pending against them, but they have not been announced yet.

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