John Higgins, 50, killed in industrial accident at railroad transfer station in Lakeville, New York
Fatal Industrial Accident at Railroad Transfer Station in Livingston County(link is external)
Authorities have shutdown the area around the railroad track including a section of Stone Hill Road in Lakeville.
The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. behind Smith Lumber.
Man killed in Lakeville workplace accident(link is external)
Deputies say the incident happened in Lakeville along the Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad. According to deputies, the man who died fell in with the fertilizer. Deputies are currently interviewing another man about what happened.
"We believe right now that the fertilizer that offloads became jammed and wouldn’t successfully unload,” said Livingston County Undersheriff Matt Bean. “The employees were possibly trying to get that fertilizer to break up or get into a state where it could be offloaded. But that’s still preliminary in our investigation.”
Officials Identify Scottsville Man Killed in Livingston County Industrial Accident(link is external)
That's when deputies say Higgins climbed to the top of the hopper and accidentally fell in, trapping him in the product.
Why every fatality from a crash is not legally a wrongful death
After someone dies in a motor-vehicle accident, grieving family members and friends are often left with many questions. What caused the accident? Could it have been avoided? What do they do now that their loved one is gone?
Sometimes a fatal collision happens through no one's fault. Crashes caused by weather and road conditions, or by wildlife in the roadway, are examples. But when a fatal crash is caused by negligence, then family members should pursue a wrongful death claim, to uphold the victim's rights and begin the financial recovery process. Learn more about wrongful death claims here.
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