A worker died Tuesday afternoon after being trapped beneath a crane at a stainless-steel and aluminum plant in Carol Stream, according to local authorities. Fire crews arrived shortly after noon, found the victim under the equipment, and pronounced the person dead at the scene. Officials have not said what caused the accident or released the worker's name.
Crews were called to Specialty Rolled Metals LLC on St. Paul Boulevard for a report of a person pinned under a crane, and firefighters confirmed one fatality at the scene, CBS News Chicago reported. The Carol Stream Police Department and the DuPage County Coroner's Office are investigating the death.
Where It Happened
Specialty Rolled Metals describes itself as a stainless-steel and aluminum supplier and lists 423 Saint Paul Blvd as its Carol Stream location on the company website. Local business listings also place the company in the St. Paul Boulevard industrial corridor, a busy stretch of warehouses and factories in Carol Stream.
Workplace Safety Context
Crane accidents remain a persistent risk in industrial settings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 297 crane-related deaths were recorded nationwide from 2011 through 2017, an average of about 42 per year. More than half of those fatalities involved workers being struck by falling objects or equipment, and manufacturing accounted for roughly a quarter of the cases.
Investigation Ongoing
The Carol Stream Police Department and the DuPage County Coroner's Office are leading the investigation and have not yet released the victim's identity or an official cause of death, according to CBS News Chicago. Authorities have not said whether any state or federal workplace-safety agencies will join the probe as it moves forward.
