Contact: Beth Stone 508-584-8120
BROCKTON – An employee was fatally injured at an Abington recycling company yesterday, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
At approximately 1:40 p.m. yesterday, Abington Police received a 911 call from an employee at Troupe Waste and Recycling, located at 1477 Bedford Street in Abington, reporting that an employee had fallen off a forklift. Upon arrival, first responders located the male victim and began life-saving measures. The victim was transported to South Shore Hospital where he was pronounced dead of his injuries. He has been identified as Donald Schaefer, 67, of Braintree.
Abington Police contacted the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, and an investigation commenced. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration responded to the scene and is also investigating. Preliminarily, it appears Schaefer was working with two other men, one of which was operating a tractor with a forklift attached, to offload several steel container bottoms. Schaefer was standing on top of one of the loads to provide counterweight, when the load shifted and Schaefer fell off of the load to the ground. Several of the steel container bottoms then landed on top of Schaefer. The co-workers immediately pushed the load of steel off of Schaefer and dialed 911.
The investigation is ongoing at this time.