Worker Gravely Hurt in Accident
Worker Gravely Hurt in Accident
BEAR, Del. - March 31, 2009 - (WPVI) -- A business owner suffered life-threatening injuries after an accident at a business Tuesday morning in Bear, Delaware.
Police and paramedics were dispatched at about 10:15 a.m. for a report of a man trapped under a piece of construction equipment at Tyson F. Sartin, Inc, a company that makes granite grave markers.
Police say the business owner, a 56-year-old man, was working on a 1983 Chevrolet, a company truck, and was positioned beneath the vehicle. The truck was running during the repair and his shirt became tangled in a vehicle's drive shaft and pinned him against the frame.
An employee of the business came along, observed the injured man and called for help.
EMS Chief Lawrence Tan says an ambulance crew cut the man's clothing free. Paramedics spokesman Cpl. Peter Small says the man was taken to Christiana Hospital with serious neck and chest injuries.
This news story highlights two important dangers in working with any equipment . . . even an automobile. The importance of locking out the equipment prior to repair to ensure you aren't exposed to hazardous energy (drive shaft spinning). It also highlights the hazards of wearing loose clothing around moving equipment.
The story's headline about being "gravely hurt" in an accident at a tombstone maker is certainly a play on words . . . but injuries are certainly not a laughing matter.
How about you? Have you worked on a car or other equipment while it's still running? Have you entered the danger zone unprotected? If you have in the past, remember that you were lucky nothing serious happened. Are you going to rely on luck today?