Death of Man on Centralia Junior High construction job under investigation
September 20, 2018 | by Bruce Kropp
An ironworker has died on the room addition project at Centralia Junior High School.
Marion County Deputy Coroner Doug Krutsinger says 32-year-old Matthew Smith of Tilden was using a welder before he was found passed out and unresponsive Thursday afternoon on a scissor lift by a co-worker. The worker had left four to five minutes earlier to get a drink of water.
Efforts to revive Smith on the scene were unsuccessful. He was later pronounced dead in the emergency room of St. Mary’s Hospital.
Krutsinger says no one saw what happened and it’s not clear what caused Smith to collapse. There were burns on his neck which could possibly indicate contact with something electrical.
Coroner Troy Cannon says an autopsy scheduled for Friday morning in Champaign will hopefully determine whether Smith came into contact with electrical current or experienced an unknown medical event. Foul play is not suspected at this time.
OSHA officials were also on the scene Thursday afternoon to investigate since the death was on a construction site.
Krutsinger says Smith was working to put up the skeleton for an addition to the junior high along the Pine Street side of the school. He worked for a subcontractor on the project, Rockbranch Iron Works in Coulterville.
Centralia Police and Fire initially responded to the call.
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Ironworker killed at southern Illinois construction site
Associated Press
September 21, 2018
CENTRALIA, Ill. --
Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon said Friday that 32-year-old Matthew Smith of Tilden appeared to have been electrocuted. His death would have been instant.
Cannon said Smith had been using a welder operated by a gas generator. Smith was working with a supervisor at the time of the incident. However, that supervisor left for a few minutes and found a collapsed Smith when he returned.
John Schmitt of Iron Workers Union Local 392 says Smith, who had seven years of welding experience, was working with Rockbranch Iron Works on the project.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed on Friday the agency has opened an investigation into Smith's death.
Matthew Smith, age 32, of Tilden, IL, passed away on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at 2:50 p.m. in St. Mary’s Hospital, Centralia, IL.
Matthew was born on November 1, 1985 in Sparta, IL, the son of Rodney E. and Annette M. (Vuichard) Smith. He previously worked at Pistol City, Coulterville, IL and currently worked as an ironworker for Rockbranch Ironworks Local 392. Matthew loved riding motorcycles and four-wheelers.
Survivors include his father, Rodney E. (Cathy) Smith of Tilden, IL; his paternal grandparents, Earl (Grace) Smith of Farmington, MO and Linda Woodside of Coulterville, IL; one sister, Maria Smith (Matthew Pierce) of Coulterville, IL; and two brothers, Zack (Jaycie) Wright of Marissa, IL and Jordan Wright (Abby Knope) of St. Louis, MO.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Annette Smith; his maternal grandparents, Charles “Chuck” and June Vuichard; and his paternal step-grandfather, Wilmer G. Woodside.