A Michigan man was killed Thursday while loading grain onto a railcar at a grain elevator in North Toledo, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office confirmed.
Shaun Baker, 42, was pronounced dead at the scene about 11 a.m. at the Hansen-Mueller grain elevator, 1800 N. Water St., Deputy Coroner Dr. Thomas Blomquist said.
“His safety harness got entangled in the conveyor motor, he got entrapped, and died as a result of that,” Dr. Blomquist said.
The official ruling on the cause of death is pending an autopsy scheduled for Friday, Dr. Blomquist said.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the fatality, said Scott Allen, OSHA spokesman.
"We have compliance officers at the scene now conducting interviews with potential witnesses and the employer," Mr. Allen said. "They are basically conducting interviews now, trying to determine what might have happened and if the company was following all OSHA standards and regulations."
The Toledo Fire and Rescue Department's technical rescue team assisted at the scene to free the man from the machine, fire department spokesman Pvt. Sterling Rahe said.
The effort took an estimated 90 minutes, Private Rahe estimated.
"It was a somber mood," Private Rahe said. "We went there with the hopes of having a positive outcome."
Messages left with the company Thursday were not returned.
First Published April 14, 2022, 8:16 p.m.
