Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1602144.015 - 152069 - Dean'S Wrecker Service, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Raleigh

Investigation Summary

At 12:00 a.m. on June 13, 2022, an employee was pulling a concrete buggy onto a truck bed using a winch. The employee of a wrecker/towing company was tasked with picking up two Whiteman WBH-16EF Power Buggies from a concrete facility. The employee was using a Ramsey Winch, Model HD234, Serial Number R121795 to load the buggies onto a Kenworth rollback truck equipped with a JLG Jerr-Dan truck bed, Model 22SRR6T-W-LP. The employee had pulled one concrete buggy onto the rollback truck bed using the winch, and was attempting to hook a chain on a D-ring onto the front of the concrete buggy to secure the buggy to the bed. When the employee squatted down to attach the chain, he inadvertently activated the winch remote control that was in his pocket. The winch-in button was pushed, activating the winch and pulling the concrete buggy forward while the employee was positioned between the buggy and the truck's headache bar. The employee was killed when his shoulders were caught been the concrete buggy and the truck's headache bar, resulting in traumatic asphyxia

Keywords: Asphyxiated, Caught Between, Pinned, Remote Control, Shoulder, Struck By, Tow Truck, Towed Equipment, Traumatic, Winch