Workers Killed in Sseparate Accidents, Nationwide

Tampa, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – A worker died when a piece of concrete fell on him Saturday; one of several employees killed in the workplace this week.

Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call on Friday to Port Tampa Bay. When they arrived, they found a man under a piece of concrete that had fallen on him.

Workers were moving a concrete slab that weighed approximately 3,000 pounds when a portion broke off and fell on 27-year-old Brennen Wagoner. Wagoner was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

Officials said Wagoner was an employee of Orion Marine Construction and was working to replace a seawall at the time of the accident. Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the accident, deputies said.

On Wednesday, a Culver, Minnesota worker was killed in an industrial accident at a gravel pit, police said.

Officials with the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said 40-year-old Brad Wojtysiak was killed when an accident happened at a gravel pit in Industrial Township, about a half hour west of Duluth.

Deputies and emergency responders said they arrived at the scene to find the man dead in the pit. Authorities said Wojtysiak was working on a large piece of equipment, but there was no little information on what happened. The death is being investigated by the sheriff’s office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, officials said. 

Also on Wednesday, a construction worker was shot at a construction site in what police said was a targeted shooting. 

Officials said the 30-year-old victim had just walked out of a building he was working in on Stanley Avenue when a man pulled up in a silver Honda and shot him multiple times in the chest and once in the knee. The shooter then drove away from the scene.

The victim was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. 

Officials believe the shooting was targeted, and an investigation into the incident continues.

On Tuesday, a Westchester, New York worker died when a senior citizen drove into a project site. 

Officials said 28-year-old Jake Arcara was working for the Town of Yorktown as a highway employee at the time. Employees were stationed at a drainage project in the upper Westchester community when a car drove through the worksite. Arcara was hit by the vehicle and then rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said. 

Town supervisor Matt Slater said Arcara had been working with the township since 2019. Slater said the accident was being investigated. Both Arcana and the senior citizen who allegedly caused the accident were longtime community members.

“The reality is this was a genuine tragedy,” Slater said. 

And on Sept. 8, a Mill Creek Playground worker died when she was shot twice in an accident near 47th and Brown in West Philadelphia.

Officials said Tiffany Fletcher, 41, was working at the center when she was caught in the crossfire of a nearby shootout. 

“Our hearts are incredibly heavy tonight. In a brazen and unconscionable act of gun violence, Tiffany Fletcher—a dedicated, passionate, and driven City employee—was struck by crossfire in the middle of the day doing a job she loved at Millcreek Rec Center in West Philadelphia,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement. “Words alone cannot express the outrage, hurt, and sadness all of her colleagues feel tonight. I was beyond appalled to learn of this heinous and senseless crime that has completely devastated so many people, especially her family.” 

Terry Alice, a witness to the shooting, said Fletcher ran to nearby businesses looking for help. 

“At first you know, I thought she was just getting away from hearing [gunshots], you know how people scatter,” Allice told NBC10. “After we got everything shut and saw her laying down, I asked her if she was okay, and she lifted up her hands. I saw the blood, so I ran, grabbed the towels, and packed the wounds.” 

Fletcher was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in critical condition around 1:30 p.m., and was pronounced died shortly after 7 p.m. 

Police said one of the suspects is only 14 years old. The city is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooters.

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