Fall from third step of ladder leaves man dead
December 23, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: Bizarre Accident of the Week, Falls, Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, OSHA news
Here’s proof that even falls from low heights can be fatal.
James King, 79, died of injuries he received after falling from the second or third step of a ladder and striking his head on the floor at the Walmart in Russellville, AR, according to the Russellville Courier News. King was a greeter and assembler at the store.
He’d been trying to remove a box that contained a bicycle from a storage rack.
He was taken to the hospital where he later died.
OSHA investigated and found no violations.
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Tags: fall from ladder, fatal, head injuries
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December 30th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I am glad that OSHA found no fault in this case, sometimes accidents just happen. WalMart does not always get good press, but they do a great service to this country by giving employment opportunities to our aged challenged citizens. I hope that this does not change their outlook on this practice. KT
January 5th, 2010 at 10:46 am
I cannot see this as age related. Anyone falling from the second or third step of a step ladder and striking their head on a concrete floor could have sustained life threatening head injuries. I think that this is more of a wake up call to take ladder safety seriously without focusing on the age. It should open a lot of eyes that, yes, even a fall from the second or third rung could potentially result in serious or fatal injury. On a personal note, my own brother died at age 17 from head injuries that did not seem that severe - the coroner said after the autopsy that kids get hit harder playing football. He was in his prime of physical age and condition. I have found that we all sometimes take ladders for granted because they are so common in all industries and seem benign. We should all remember this tragedy and practice due dilligence in ladder safety training, whatever our trade.
January 5th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Everytime I read about a fall of this type, I feel very sad but also very lucky. Jan 01, 2009 I fell 18′ off a fixed ladder onto concrete. I broke several bones but lived. It’s been a year now and I’m 95% healed. I look at ladder safety a little different since my fall.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Not enough detail but it leaves me to believe he had no assistance while attempting this task.
If I tried to get a box down while climbing up on a ladder (they store bicycles on the top shelf), by myself, I would have difficulty as well.
Were there no rules or safe work instructions for retrieving items from the storage rack using a ladder?
At our facility, nobody does this type of work alone. If you have to climb a ladder and perform any type of work while on the ladder, two people are involved.
I wonder Wal-Mart management feels any responsibility in this fatality. I would!
January 5th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Agree with Ken, our workplace policy is that if a worker is using a ladder there must be a spotter present to make sure the ladder doesn’t move while in use and to prevent simple falls such as this.
March 14th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Does anyone have a picture of the accident or similar photo of such incident?