THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150439
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON FRANK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: JAMES CITY COUNTY LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Two men died instantly and another was injured Thursday afternoon when a metal silo collapsed as they loaded a mixer truck with cement at a plant near Williamsburg.
The 30-foot silo, which held the cement powder, fell about 12:15 p.m. at Custom Concrete, located at 5413 Airport Road, near the intersection of Airport Road and Mooretown Road north of Williamsburg.
The three men, standing around the truck, were trapped beneath a pile of torn and crumpled metal.
All three men were employees of Custom Concrete, said Dan Joyner, company president.
``Our grief for the families who have been affected by the tragedy is beyond words,'' Joyner said. ``Our hearts go out to them and their loved ones.''
The victims were identified as Brad English and Richard Turner. Both lived in the Williamsburg area, said Richard Miller, James City County fire chief. Their exact addresses and ages were not available Thursday, Miller said.
The injured employee is 31-year-old Allen Carr, who lives in James City County. He was airlifted to Williamsburg General Hospital and then to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. He suffered injuries to his back, ribs and a leg, Miller said.
The cause of the accident has not been determined. Miller said the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry would take part in an investigation.
Miller said he did not know the company's safety record.
When the accident happened, Carol Miller was at work, as manager of Sentry Self Storage, next to the concrete plant on Mooretown Road. ``I just heard a boom and our windows rattled,'' she said.
Morgan Moss works at Williamsburg Place, a rehabilitation center that is close to a railway crossing off Richmond Road, where accidents have occurred.
``At first I thought it was another train accident,'' he said. ``But then I realized there wasn't a train.''
Earlier this week, a crane was seen around the company's three silos, according to people who work near the plant.
On Wednesday, they said, workers were seen on the metal framework which elevates the silos so trucks can load up below.
The sight of workers so high above the ground alarmed Moss.
``Something in me said this is kind of scary,'' he said. ``But 99 percent of the time when you say something is going to happen, it never does. This time it did.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot
Code Inspector Garland Dalton examines the wreckage of a metal silo
that collapsed Thursday at the Custom Concrete plant north of
Williamsburg. The three men had been trapped underneath.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT GENERAL FATALITIES INJURIES by CNB