Heart attack led to Ameren worker’s death
megan mcneill Mississippi Valley Publishing
Apr 25, 2017 Updated 14 hrs ago
The Hancock County, Ill., Coroner’s Office has determined a heart attack led to the death of an Ameren worker who was on duty Friday night at the Keokuk/Hamilton, Ill., dam.
Coroner Kendall Beals said drowning was the preliminary cause of death for 75-year-old Ronald Summers of Keokuk.
“He had a heart attack while he was driving a golf cart-style vehicle, and the vehicle went into the river,” Beals said.
A search for Summers began Saturday morning after he failed to report in after his shift. His body was found Sunday morning.
The Peoria, Ill., area office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched an inspection of the incident on Monday “because it was occupational fatality,” according to Barry Salerno, acting area director for OSHA.
“We’ve been gathering information, we’ve met with the company, we looked at the site and will follow up with groups including the coroner,” Salerno said. “If we don’t immediately know the cause of death, we investigate. If it was due to natural causes, we don’t proceed (further).”