Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1475443.015 - Edward Nicholson

Inspection Information - Office: Eau Claire Area Office

Investigation Summary

This investigation resulted in two inspections. 1475443 was for a firm that towed motor vehicles. 1482566 was for a speedway, an automotive racetrack. It was probably the case that the speedway was the primary employer and the towing company the secondary employer. At 9:00 p.m. on May 15, 2020, Employee #1, a 62-year-old employee, was working as a track safety crew worker at a clay racetrack in New Richmond, WI. Prior to the incident, a race involving eight school buses had been underway at the track. Near turn number 1, two school buses collided. The first, a Thomas model 3800 77-passenger school bus, overturned onto the driver's side and partially onto the driver's side roof. It did not completely turn over, as the front of the second bus had become lodged into the side of the first bus. The collision also resulted in a fire that ignited near the engine compartment of the first bus. The collision halted the race, and emergency response personnel and the track safety crew responded to the wreck. They extinguished the fire on the first bus. To prevent any additional fire, the employee was trying to disconnect the battery located on the first bus. He would do this by accessing the terminals located within the battery box enclosure on the outside of the bus below the driver's seat. At this time, another track safety crew worker attempted to dislodge the second bus by backing it away from the first bus. When he did this, the first bus became unstable and tipped onto its side, crushing the employee between the exterior framework of the bus and the clay racetrack. Track safety crew members, along with emergency response personnel, immediately responded to the scene and extracted the employee from beneath the first bus. In spite of the lifesaving attempts, the employee died as a result of his crushing injuries.

Keywords: Battery, Caught Between, Collision, Crushed, Fire, Motor Vehicle, Overturn, Racetrack, Traffic Accident, Unstable Position