Freak crash at Green Bay Packaging kills truck driver from Georgia - Wausau Daily Herald – 2/5/2010
Wausau police say a 53-year-old Georgia truck driver was killed Thursday night when he was accidentally struck by a semi driven by his wife. Ricky L. Whitworth of Hephzibah, Ga., was killed at about 11:30 p.m. while preparing to unload a tractor-trailer in the parking lot of Green Bay Packaging in the Wausau West Business and Industrial Park, according to police.
Whitworth was working on the pin that connects the cab of the truck and the trailer, said Schneider National spokeswoman Janet Bonkowski. Schneider National owns the truck. Whitworth's wife, Anita, thought Ricky Whitworth signaled her to move the truck, and she accidentally struck him, police said.
Marathon County Medical Examiner John Larson said a preliminary autopsy indicated that Ricky Whitworth suffered from multiple blunt force trauma injuries to his chest and neck. Additional tests and examinations will be conducted in the next few days, he said.
Marty Olson, general manager of the Wausau plant, said the Whitworths were bringing up a load from a paper mill in Arkansas. Police, officials from Schneider and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration continued to investigate the crash Friday, Olson said.
The couple had been married for 33 years, police said. The Whitworths drove for 15 years with Schneider and were considered to be in "good standing" with the company, Bonkowski said.
All the details on the cause of this fatality are not yet known, but certainly communications appears to play a part in this. Clear and concise communications between coworkers is a must and even in this couple married 33 years, something broke down.
When communicating during moments critical to safety, ensure you don’t rely on hand signals or shouting . . . ensure everyone knows the “plan” and their responsibilities ahead of time and ensure communications are not only heard, but understood.
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