Young Worker Crushed to Death by Front-loader at Rock Recycling Business in Sun Valley, California

JUNE 17, 2015

 

A man who was working at a rock recycling location in Sun Valley died after being crushed in an industrial accident that left a “horrific scene” Wednesday, authorities said.

A coroner’s van responds to a fatal industrial accident at a facility in Sun Valley on June 17, 2015. (Credit: KTLA)

The victim, a 21-year-old man, had already died from what was described as a “massive crush injury” when emergency personnel arrived at the site on 9005 North Bradley Avenue at about 1:45 p.m., Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

A front-loader was in the process of dumping its load onto a dirt hauler when it backed up and ran over a worker while moving to another portion of the yard, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Bill Bustos said.

The man, who was an employee at the cement and concrete recycling facility, died immediately, Bustos said.

A worker died from a crush injury at this facility in Sun Valley on June 17, 2015. (Credit: KTLA)

Officers were waiting for the family to arrive, and the man’s identity would not be released until relatives were notified, the detective said.

“We’re going to be giving them the horrible news of what happened to their loved one,” Bustos said. “It’s a horrific scene here.”

The address is connected to a business called Green Rock, which describes itself as a recycled landscape rock company on its website. The building bore a sign that read Newman & Sons, Inc. Recycled Rock Base Materials, video from the scene showed.

Police, the coroner’s department and Cal/OSHA were all investigating.