19.10.2010

Crushing accident

A man died on Sunday from the injuries he sustained in an overhead crushing accident while operating a lift near York Pennsylvania.

The accident occurred at the BAE Systems plant in West Manchester, on October 12th, an employee, Dale Lentz, was using some form of high reach equipment to work on an overhead roller door.

Lentz, 63, is reported to have struck his head, then became pinned between the controls and the door. Lentz had been with the company since 1966, first as an assembler, becoming a maintenance mechanic in 1971.

A spokesman for the defence contractor, Randy Coble issued a statement which said that an employee found Lentz unconscious at 7:25 a.m., and that there were no witnesses to the incident. “Dale Lentz was a valued member of our team and was well-known and well-liked by people across our site," he added.

Todd Harrold a member of the the BAE management team added “On behalf of every person at our site, I offer our deepest sympathies to Dale's family and friends for this tragic loss. He will be dearly missed."

OSHA has inspected the equipment as part of its investigation into the accident.