Carol Stream, IL – A crane collapse at a manufacturing facility Tuesday left a 55-year-old worker dead, prompting investigations.
According to the Carol Stream Police Department, officers and paramedics responded around 12:00 p.m. Tuesday to S&S International, located at 457 St. Paul Boulevard, for a reported workplace accident.
First responders learned the employee was attempting to load a large metal spool onto a flatbed truck using an overhead crane when the crane gave way. The spool fell from an elevated height and struck the worker.
Despite immediate life-saving efforts, the employee succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Preliminary findings indicate the incident does not appear to be criminal in nature, according to police. Detectives have opened a non-criminal death investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part of the U.S. Department of Labor, has also been notified and launched a separate investigation into workplace safety conditions at the facility.
Authorities said the identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of family by the DuPage County Coroner’s Office.
The incident underscores ongoing safety concerns in industrial workplaces, particularly for employees working around heavy equipment and overhead lifting systems.
