August 27, 2015
WINONA, MN
A Winona County man died in an accident at the city-owned dock at the Winona Commercial Harbor early Thursday.
Winona deputy police chief Tom Williams said the 23-year-old CD Corporation dock worker was in the process of moving the cover on a docked barge when he fell 12 to 15 feet into the empty barge.
An initial investigation indicated that the man fell when a hatch shifted unexpectedly as it was being closed.
Emergency dispatch was notified at 10:52 a.m. The man suffered a severe head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim has not been identified, pending notification of family members.
Winona fire captain Shawn Kohner said that the location of the accident posed particular challenges for rescue workers, due to lack of access.
They had to rig a ladder and lower the stretcher into the barge to attempt a rescue and ultimately bring the man’s body to shore.
“There’s no easy access for personnel in and out of an empty barge,” Kohner said.
Williams said that the accident is unusual and calls to the city dock are “few and far between.”
CD Corp., 978 Riverview Dr., is owned by Dan Nisbit. The business was started in 1993 and leases the dock from the city.
According to the company website, CD Corp. is a family owned and operated business started in 1993 with roots back to 1965. The company specializes in dry bulk handling and transportation of fertilizer, coal, grain, salt, aggregate and scrap iron. The company operates a barge loading and unloading facility with outdoor storage pads that can accommodate 200,000 tons of material and overhead storage of 800 tons.
The company was the focus of local controversy in recent years related to the trans-shipment of silica sand for the petroleum industry, a segment of the business that has fallen off sharply with the drop in oil prices.
An affiliated business, CD Transportation, owns 30 trucks and 40 trailers and transports all types of bulk products including scrap, garbage, demolition, coal, rock, salt, fertilizer, feed and grain.
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN (WCCO) —
A 24-year-old worker is dead after falling into a barge in Winona Thursday morning, according to police.
The fatal accident happened at CD Corporation on 978 Riverview Drive just before 11 a.m.
The victim, who has not been identified, was on top of a barge container when one of the hatches suddenly shifted while closing, causing him to fall inside. He suffered a fatal head injury in the fall.
The Winona County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating