Three Major Fatal Incidents Reported Across The USA Due To Mishandling Of Excavators

When heavy equipment is not handled with the prescribed care and precautions, serious and fatal accidents may happen easily. All equipment performs well when used properly, but handling it with care makes the job even easier and safer. 

Every once in a while, we keep getting news of casualties due to the traps in equipment that raise the question of safety. OSHA always focuses on the regulations for using such huge equipment on-site. 

Recently, 3 major and serious accidents have been reported across the United States due to the mishandling of the excavators. New York, Illinois, and Idaho police have reported a series of such incidents that almost destroyed homes and damaged property.

How did the excavator hit destroy the houses?

The most recent instance occurred on November 11, soon before dawn, in Post Falls, Idaho, where a recently constructed home was destroyed. The house was still awaiting new tenants even though it had already been sold. Around 5:38 a.m., a number of 911 calls reported that someone was tearing through the property with an excavator, according to authorities. 

The culprit drove off when police arrived, but they swiftly stopped him and took him into custody. The 29-year-old guy is currently facing a number of charges, including a DUI, criminal burglary, and felony malicious injury to property. 

He works in construction and leads a nomadic lifestyle, according to investigators, but no motive has yet been found. The police are receiving assistance from the homebuilder and witnesses because there may be more charges.

Illinois accident raised many safety concerns

A similar but slightly different incident occurred in Petersburg, Illinois, just one week prior. On November 4, workers were already scheduled to demolish a sizable house that had been damaged by fire, and that portion of the plan proceeded as planned. 

However, soon after the legitimate work was finished, someone got into an excavator that was left on the job site and used it to demolish the front half of a nearby smaller building that had been turned into an apartment. 

Because no one was inside at the time, a much more dire situation was avoided. In almost thirty years of service, the chief of police in Petersburg stated that he has never witnessed anything like this. Since the act appears to have been intentional and took place within a brief twenty-minute window after crews had left, investigators are currently searching for the perpetrator.

A violent altercation in New York results in an arrest

This series of incidents began on October 27 in Groveland, New York, and involved an even riskier circumstance. Police say a 37-year-old man became enraged and used an excavator owned by his family’s business to attack a home occupied by a 62-year-old woman and her young relative. 

He caused significant structural damage, tore apart sections of a wrap-around porch, and crashed through the side of the house. The operator went on the rampage, eventually focusing on a relative who came in a pickup truck to assist, even though the woman was able to flee with the child. 

Before the suspect left the scene, a physical altercation resulted from the excavator striking the truck several times. After being detained at his mother’s house, he is currently accused of multiple felonies, including criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.

What should the equipment industry do to avoid such incidents? 

Even though the circumstances in each case are unique, they are all connected by the misuse or mishandling of the heavy construction equipment by the untrained operators. 

In the wrong hands, excavators can become destructive tools that could result in significant property loss or put lives in danger. Excavators are made for controlled, skilled operation. In residential areas, where access is easier and equipment is frequently left for the following day’s work, contractors and equipment owners are being reminded more and more of how important it is to secure machinery at worksites.

These incidents also serve as a reminder to the heavy equipment community of the responsibility that comes with using such huge, powerful machinery. In addition to being industry standards, proper training, stringent access control, and uniform safety procedures are must-have measures in preventing catastrophes or needless harm. 

It is hoped that these unusual cases will lead to more stringent jobsite security measures and increased awareness of how equipment should be handled at all times as investigations continue in all three states.

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