American Airlines Worker Killed on Tarmac of Charlotte Airport

Charlotte, NC (WorkersCompensation.com) – An airport worker was allegedly hit and killed by a vehicle on Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s tarmac, officials said, one of several employees involved in workplace accidents this week.

Officials said the worker was killed on Jan. 27 along the airport’s on-ramp. Police said they were called to the airport for a report of an injured employee. First responders said the worker died at the scene. The employee had been hit by an airline ramp vehicle.

The airline expressed its condolences to the family.

“We are devastated by the accident involving a team member at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT),” the airline said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and our local team members. We are focused on ensuring that all involved have the support they need during this difficult time. ”

The North Carolina Department of Labor said an investigation into the incident has been started.

Officials did not disclose how the accident happened, but witnesses at the scene said the employee was working on the concourse and was within sight of the passengers on planes on the tarmac and in the terminals at the time of the accident. The employee’s identity had not been released.

In Manhattan, a worker was killed the same day when an MTA bus struck the construction vehicle he was working on, flinging him to his death.

Officials said the 39-year-old worker, Vladamir Cruz, was changing a billboard on top of a Victoria’s Secret store on Fifth Avenue when the bus hit his boom lift. On impact, Cruz was thrown more than 20 feet from the lift. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Officials said no charges had been filed against the bus driver.

And in the Bronx, a construction worker was killed on Monday when he fell from a three-story residential building. An official with the Department of Buildings said the worker fell almost 30 feet and landed in a backyard. Officials said he was hospitalized in serious condition.

In Burleson, Texas, a cell tower worker was critically injured Friday after accidentally coming into contact with a high-voltage power line.

Burleson Fire Chief Casey Davis said that three workers were working on a cell phone tower on North Burleson Boulevard when they called for help. Davis said one of the workers had been shocked. At least one worker had already climbed down and was able to assist another off the tower. The third worker could not be immediately removed, he said, because of an injury.

To initiate the rescue, power was shut off at the substation, disrupting power for more than 5,000 customers, officials said. Rescue personnel were able to secure the man in a harness and lower him to a fire department ladder truck.

Due to the nature of the worker’s injury and his exposure to the wind and cold, he was considered to be in critical condition. While he was conscious and talking with firefighters, he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Rescue workers had to climb to the top of the 150-foot cell tower to rescue the man, Davis said.

In Chicago, a construction worker was injured when he fell from a tower at the Obama Presidential Library on Jan. 22.

According to a spokesperson for the Chicago Fire Department, the 53-year-old worker was working on the tower when he fell into the shaft. Fire crews extricated the man and transported him to the University of Chicago Medical Center with injuries. Officials with the Chicago Police Department said they are investigating.

A spokesperson for Lakeside Alliance, the builder of the Obama Presidential Center, said the man was installing insulation inside the shaft when he fell.

And in Muskegon County, Michigan, a construction worker was killed while working on the site of a new solar farm.

Officials with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the 42-year-old man was killed on Jan. 16 when a side-by-side utility truck when the trailer came off the hitch.

“The trailer’s tongue then went underneath the truck, causing it to collide with a stationary metal pole,” the report reads. “The pole penetrated the cab of the truck, fatally injuring the victim.”

A spokeswoman for Azco, the contracted construction company working on the site, said the worker died at the scene. It was the  first fatality in the 28 years she had been at the company, she said.

“This incident has impacted us greatly,” said Jenny Morrow, general counsel for Azco.

The company is providing psychological support for workers on the site, she said. The incident is under investigation, Morrow said.

“There are a lot of questions still as to how the incident occurred,” she said. “We wish to send our employees home the same way they come in to work,” Morrow said.

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