Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312587702 - Gardner Transport Service, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Indiana Department Of Labor

Investigation Summary

At 9:00 a.m. on December 8, 2008, Employee # 1, a truck driver, had just dumped his load of slag material at a landfill in Roachdale, Indiana. The weather conditions during the morning were trace snow and gusty winds. The truck is a Quad-axle 357 TM dump truck with a twenty-four ton capacity. Employee #1's load was placed in the designated drop zone. Employee #1 was working alone. Upon completion of the unloading process, Employee #1 drove his vehicle out of the dumping area to a location next to the access road which has a large shoulder for trucks to park. The truck was parked facing down hill on the shoulder of the road with the trucks bed still raised. The shoulder of the road has a slight decline. Employee #1 exited the cab of the truck with the motor in idle and the emergency brake not engaged. A second driver was heading out of the land fill towards the scale house and noticed Employee #1 lying under the front drive axle of a dump truck. The driver yelled to a heavy equipment operator who was nearby to call 911 for emergency help. The driver and equipment operator then ran to Employee #1's aid. The equipment operator got into the truck's cab and with the driver spotting for him as he backed the truck off of Employee #1. The responders pulled Employee #1 free from the drive axle and checked for vital signs. Emergency response arrived and Employee #1 was transported to Hendricks Regional Health Emergency Room located in Hendricks County, Indiana for treatment. During transport to the hospital, Employee #1 developed a lack of vital signs from the blunt trauma suffered to the upper torso and head. As a result of the severity of the injuries and the lack of vital signs, orders were given by the attending Emergency Room physician to cease resuscitation measures.

Keywords: CRUSHED, TRUCK, DUMP TRUCK, TRUCK DRIVER