By Brian Stewart Reporter
A worker for the city of Buford died Tuesday when a tire he was working on exploded, striking him in the head.
Dave Key, 48, of Buford was working at the Buford Public Works Department, located on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, when the incident happened around 9:00 a.m., according to Eddie Reeves, senior supervising investigator with the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office.
Witnesses who spoke with officers said that Key was bent over the tire, adding air to it when it exploded; they reported "a loud boom" and saw Key fly into the air, according to the police report.
"(Key) was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center, Lawrenceville, where he died of his injuries," said Reeves in a phone interview.
The explosion apparently caused "massive head trauma," according to Reeves, "and potential skull fractures."
The medical examiner's office will conduct an investigation to determine the exact extent of Key's injuries and cause of death.
"Mr. Key was a beloved and dedicated employee and served the citizens of Buford for over seventeen years," said Brian Kerlin, Buford city manager, in an email.
Key was a mechanic at the shop.
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City of Buford employee dies after accident in mechanic shop
By Joshua Sharpe
A city of Buford employee of nearly two decades died after a tire exploded at the public works maintenance shop, authorities confirmed Wednesday morning.
The incident happened Tuesday around 8:30 a.m. at 1895 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. while the man, identified as Dave Key, 48, was working on a tire. Witnesses said Key, a city mechanic, was filling up the tire when there was suddenly a boom, according to a Gwinnett County police report.
Key had put the new tire on a rim and was bending over it when it apparently exploded in his face, according to officials. A co-worker looked over and saw the man falling to the ground, bleeding from the head.
Another worker saw Key “flipping in the air, then hit the ground,” as did a third witness.
Co-workers called 911.
Gwinnett police responded, finding the victim on the ground with a “serious head injury,” bleeding, the report said.
Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services personnel transported the man to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville.
Key was pronounced dead at the hospital at 9:20 a.m., the city said.
“Mr. Key was a beloved and dedicated employee and served the citizens of Buford for over seventeen years,” City Manager Bryan Kerlin said in a news release.