NORTH CAROLINA'S FALLEN WORKERS
These are a few of the men and women that went to work in North Carolina and were fatally injured never going home to their families at the end of their shift. We remember, honor and recognize these men and women for their dedication and hardwork. We would like to sincerely thank the families that shared their loved one's picture and their tragic loss with USMWF.
This photo was sent in by his widow Mary Ann Neely Alexander.
~ 12/22/1969 - 8/27/2010 ~
|
Maurice J. Alexander, 40Maurice was killed on the job in August 2010 while working for Sonoco Recycling in Salisbury, North Carolina. He was crushed when an 800 lb. bale of cardboard fell onto him.
NCDOL investigated the incident and proposed a $11,900.00 penalty for two serious violations. In an informal settlement the penalty was reduced to $9,520.00 for two serious violations. This inspection is closed. Inspection: 314912312-Sonoco Recycling. Maurice laid trapped beneath an 800 lbs. bale of cardboard. He had been using a forklift to move the bales, and when he jumped down to adjust the machine, one came crashing down on top of him. No one knows how long he struggled to stay alive at Sonoco Recycling. |
This photo was sent in by his sister Tabetha Dailey DuPriest.
~ 5/1/1964 - 8/12/2013 ~
|
John Dailey Jr., 49John was killed in August 2013 while working for Transmit PM in Coats, North Carolina. He fell 200 feet after his harness failed.
CDOL investigated the incident and found no violations. Inspection: 317036333 - Transmit Program Management LLC. On August 12, 2013 John fell 200 feet to his death that day in Coats, NC. While doing work for Sprint. He was employed by Transmit PM. According to OSHA, he had a malfunction with his safety harness when trying to hook off (tie off??) but investigation, to date, has not been closed. John had 2 kids, Brooke & Landon. He was definitely the comedian of our family. John had a heart of gold and never met a stranger. He was a certified climber, instructor & troubleshooter. He worked in some type of construction all his life. He'd been climbing towers over 15 years. He loved climbing towers and was not only dedicated to his work, but he took pride in it. He was a technology buff. I made a video of him and link is on my page. How do you sum up someone's life in less than 15 minutes? As hard as it was to do, I hope this video shows a small portion of who he was. Hope you enjoy and thanks for watching. To see more about John. |
This photo was sent in by his mother Terry Ford.
~ 2/6/1982 - 10/27/2008 ~
|
Matthew John Ford, 26
Matthew was killed on the in October 2008 while working for Southland Electric Supply in Burlington, North Carolina. Matthew died after falling from a scissor lift.
NCDOL investigated the incident and proposed a $5,000.00 penalty. In an informal settlement the penalty was reduced to $4,000. This inspection is closed. Inspection: 312194343 - Southland Electrical Supply,Inc. My son Matthew John Ford was born a premie July 6, 1982 and died tragically in a scissor lift accident at Southland Electrical Supply in Burlington, NC October 7, 2008. OSHA concluded operational error. Matt was their Chief Information Officer, a computer expert. He had no operational nor safety training on this equipment. He was installing security cameras, after dark, with no ground spotter. The ramp he was on was not very steep, so no safety curb was required by OSHA. Apparently somewhere on the lift is stated do not use on unlevel ground. Many questions have no answer, such as why was he allowed to use this equipment? Why was no ground spotter assigned? If this equipment is so unstable, why is it not mandatory that it have an automatic shut off when used on any inclines, no matter how slight? Why aren't safety curbs mandatory on any inclines, so you know when you are getting close to the edge? Matt was only 26 years old, and extremely successful, going from an intern position at $8 an hour to Chief Information Officer making over $78,000 a year in only 4 years. His future was so bright. Workman's comp takes no future earnings into account and has a cap on what compensation we are allowed. A worker at 26 has many more years to increase their income than a 64 year old yet they use the same equation to calculate benefits. God Bless you Matt, you should not have been taken away from us so soon. |
 This photo was sent in by his mom, Tina Bryant.
~ 7/23/1996 - 10/30/2019 ~
|
Cody Gillespie, 23Cody was killed in October 2019 while working for Waste Pro Of North Carolina, Inc. in Swannanoa, North Carolina. He died after being thrown from the garbage truck to which he was riding on as it swerved off the road to avoid a vehicle that had crossed over the center line.
NCOSHA investigated the incident and proposed a $75,000 penalty with one serious violation and one other than serious violation. This case is still open. "He was only 23 . Just starting his life. Survived by his mother, 1 aunt, and 2 older brothers . 1 niece and 2 nephews, and a sister n law. Its EXTREMELY hard every single day without my baby boy. A part of me died that day with him. " |
This photo was sent in by his Mom, Christy Groover.
~09/28/1998-02/27/2020~
|
Austin Milton, 21Austin was fatally injured on February 2020 while working for Deangelo Brothers, Llc in Iredell, North Carolina. Austin died after an individual driving a box truck drove into a construction zone striking a parked construction vehicle propelling it forward striking him and two other co-workers all who succumbed to their injuries.
Inspection: 1466295.015 - 144897 - Deangelo Brothers, Llc Always in my heart. Forever 21 ~ love Mom |
This photo was sent in by his widow Michelle.
~ 12/16/1975 - 11/11/2012 ~
|
Michael Brad Stevenson, 36Michael was killed on the job in November 2012 while working for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in Rodanthe, North Carolina. Michael was killed after his dump truck collided and caught fire with a stalled dump truck sitting along the side of the road.
No OSHA data 12/13/2013 Well Brad loved his job. He worked for NC Department of Transportation for about 16 years as a heavy equipment operator. The accident happened in Rodanthe, NC on Hwy 12. The crews were working on removing sand off the highway from Hurricane Sandy and a nor'easter. The accident happened around 1am when "Brad" was driving a dump truck loaded with sand. There was a broken down dump truck sitting on the highway with no working lights "Brad" rear-ended it. Brad lived in Hertford NC. He was married and has three young children. Michelle says they were also coming up on their sixteenth wedding anniversary. "It's just a big empty hole in my soul," she said. "He was my soul mate. He was my life." |
This photo was sent in by his mother Bess.
~ 3/8/1962 -7/13/2012 ~
|
Randy Wilson, 50Randy was killed in in June 2012 while working for Clean Fuels of Indiana, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina. He died after he was struck by a vehicle testing fuel at a BP gas station in a manhole.
NCDOL investigated the incident and proposed a $5,600.00 penalty for two serious violations. these were not reduced. Inspection: 316364843 - Clean Fuels Of Indiana Inc Dba Clean Fuels National To see more about Randy |
