Man Crushed To Death By 3-Ton Slab Of Granite
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (STMW) - A 23-year-old employee of a southwest suburban stone warehouse was crushed to death by a 6,000-pound slab of granite on Thursday morning.
Fire crews responded to Primus Natural Stone at 1265 Naperville Dr. in Romeoville at 9:15 a.m. and found the man already dead, crushed by the slab of rock, Romeoville Fire Dept. spokesman Brandon Street said.
The victim, an employee of Primus, was completely trapped and recovery of the body required extensive extrication, a release from the fire department said.
Emilio Gallardo, 23, of Chicago was killed in what the Will County Coroner's office called a work-related mishap. He was pronounced dead at 10:22 a.m.
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Crews worked for more than three hours to remove the granite, using forklifts and wood cribbing, Street said.
Inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were sent to the warehouse after the death and remained at the scene at 2:30 p.m., OSHA Assistant Area Dir. Jim Martineck said. The warehouse had no history of inspections.
Fire crews were assisted by Romeoville police and the Downers Grove Fire Dept., as well as an employee of a nearby business who helped operate equipment at the scene, the release said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
