Man dies after being 'impaled' by beam in Wellington
Jason Pohl, jasonpohl@coloradoan.com 8:22 p.m. MDT September 7, 2016
A 48-year-old Wellington man died Tuesday after he was impaled by a beam in an industrial incident north of Fort Collins.
Emergency crews were dispatched about 12:42 p.m. Tuesday to reports of a beam that struck a person in the back at Front Range Steel in Wellington. Rescuers responded and located the man who was "impaled" in the back with a 16-inch long beam, said Rachael Gonzales, spokeswoman for the Wellington Fire Protection District.
First responders performed CPR, and the man, identified Wednesday as William J. Williams, was flown by Air Link helicopter from the facility at 3620 Jefferson Ave. in Wellington to Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, where he died. A Wednesday morning autopsy revealed the man died of multiple blunt force trauma.
"We are a tight-knit, family-run company with a lot of long-term employees. This employee was with us for over 10 years and we will miss him. He was a valued operator of equipment and machinery and skilled at his job," owners Robert and Adam Stribling wrote in a prepared statement.
Williams was an operator who used electronic controls to guide steel beams into place for drilling. For reasons not yet clear — the incident was not witnessed — Williams went into the area where the beams move back and forth while being drilled. That's when an the automatic drilling machine cycled to move a beam and pinched him against a conveyor.
Front Range Steel has more than 30 employees and specializes in steel fabrication for projects ranging from stairs and railings to multi-level steel buildings, according to its website.
The business has reported the incident to OSHA and has outside and on-staff safety experts conducting an investigation. The company also said it is giving employees optional time off and has brought in grief counselors to meet with employees.
A memorial fund has been established to benefit Williams' wife, children and extended family. Donations can be made to the William Williams Memorial Fund at Points West Community Bank, 8100 6th St. in Wellington.
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Welcome to Front Range Steel
Front Range Steel, Inc is a structural steel fabricator established in 1981. Front Range Steel began as a small shop with four employees located on the north side of Fort Collins Colorado, FRS has since grown to a larger facility in Wellington Colorado with thirty plus employees serving clients along the Front Range area.
Projects ranging from miscellaneous metals, stairs and rails to multi-level structural steel buildings. The goal at Front Range Steel is to provide a quality service within the construction industry.
FRS is committed to satisfying customer needs, contract requirements and scheduling issues from the start of a project to completion. This website is for your use and incorporates services provided, photos of past contracts as well as contact information to let us know what Front Range Steel can do for you. Thank you for 35 years of service!
Shop Services
Cutting
- Bandsaw 18″ X 42″ capacity
- Plasma Table 6’x 12′ 1 1/2 thick capacity
- Oxy fuel Table 6′ x 12′ 3″ thick capacity
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- 1/2″ X 10′- 0 Capacity
Bending Shot Blasting
- 4′- 0 X 4′- 0 X 60′- 0 Capacity
- Industrial Coatings and Primers
- Epoxy / Zinc Coatings