Last year at least 56 workers died on the job or from injuries sustained while working in Oregon. So did at least 10 workers in Clark, Cowlitz, and Lewis counties in Southwest Washignton. Here are the names of those who lost their lives.
OREGON
- Ronald Allen Logging Equipment Operator – Heavy equipment rollover
- Marcellino Baca Lumber Mill Worker – Pedestrian struck by equipment
- Ruslan Basarab Truck Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Donald Blumenfeld Equipment Operator – Heavy equipment rollover
- Sharon Brock Merchandiser – Pedestrian struck by vehicle
- Josue Castillo Lima Warehouse Worker – Struck by falling object
- Michele Cavallotti Flight Instructor – Plane crash
- David Ceja Garibay Plywood Production – Struck by falling object
- Caleb Crepau Roofing Foreman – Fall from height
- Alejandra Espinoza Carpio Farmworker – Motor vehicle accident
- Calbert Dougi Welder – Fall from height
- Brian Flowers Firefighter – Repeated exposure to hazardous environments
- Stephen Forrest Convenience Store Worker – Homicide
- Bradley Freeman Mine Supervisor – Motor vehicle accident
- Steven Froemke Truck Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Joshue Garcia Garcia Farmworker – Motor vehicle accident
- Anthony Godell Log Truck Driver – Pedestrian struck by vehicle
- Luis Gomez Reyes Farmworker – Motor vehicle accident
- Dennis Hickethier Lumber Truck Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Jose Hurtado Produce Delivery Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Alejandro Jimenez Hernandez Farmworker – Motor vehicle accident
- Mario Jimenez Tree Removal – Worker Fall from height
- Joseph Johnson Police Officer – Homicide
- Victor Jones Truck Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Clayton Kenyon Truck Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Barbara Kolada Caregiver – Slip and/or fall, same level
- Reese Lawhon Cab Driver – Homicide
- Juan Carlos Leyva Carillo Farmworker – Motor vehicle accident
- Eddye Alfonso Lopez Lopez Farmworker – Motor vehicle accident
- Gonzalo Martinez SPC Soldier, US Army – Pedestrian struck by vehicle
- David Mchale Refrigerator Technician – Exposure to hazardous environment
- Beth Mckinnon Truck Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Clemence Meyerhofer Owner/Operator – Heavy equipment rollover
- John Murphy Retail Worker – Slip and/or fall, same level
- Troy Ness Maintenance Worker – Fall from height
- Brandon Norbury Firefighter – Medical event
- Alex Pace Equipment Operator – Motor vehicle accident
- Carrol Penhollow Fire Board Member – Slip and/or fall, same level
- Wayne Rhodes Electrician – Fall from height
- Haley Rogers Mental Health Aide – Homicide
- Ildefonso Rosiles-Cisneros Produce Sorter – Medical event
- Hamidu Rubawa Caregiver – Slip and/or fall, same level
- Jim Russell Volunteer Flagger – Pedestrian struck by vehicle
- Lewis Sandoval Truck Driver – Pedestrian struck by vehicle
- Amado Santos Tello Gas Station Attendant – Homicide
- Jorge Segundo Segundo Farmworker – Caught or compressed between objects
- Meredith Shipman Convenience Store Worker – Pedestrian stuck by vehicle
- Bobby Smallwood Security Guard – Homicide
- Isaura Soto Gaona Bartender – Homicide
- Michael Stalford Tile Setter – Motor vehicle accident
- Darrel Thew Truck Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- James Thomas Truck Driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Myron Thomas Construction Company Owner/Operator – Fall from height
- Gabriel Tovilla Farmworker – Motor vehicle accident
- Conrado Vasquez Maintenance Worker – Fall from height
- Florencio Vega-Santos Furniture Installer – Motor vehicle accident
SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
- Bryson Fitch Crab Fisherman – Lost at sea when vessel sunk
- Shane Gooding Truck Driver – Pulmonary embolism
- Dennis Hickethier Truck driver – Motor vehicle accident
- Bert “Tig” Holmes Mechanic – Motor vehicle accident
- Heidi Jaeger Sales Director – Pedestrian struck by vehicle
- Robert May Asbestos Worker – Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by exposure to asbestos
- Robert Perkins Logger – Pinned under wheels of skid steer
- Erin Peterson DFW Biologist – Drowning
- David “Gus” Ridley Millwright/Welder – Asbestosis
- Jose Torres-Cabrera Logger – Struck by falling log
Names were compiled by Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services and Washington Department of Labor and Industries based on worker’s compensation records, news reports, and OSHA notifications. Because confidentiality restrictions limit releasing individual names in certain cases, it’s not a complete account of all fatal accidents.
Local Workers Memorial Day observances
Each year Workers Memorial Day honors workers who lost their lives as the result of workplace injury and illness. Workers Memorial Day – April 28 – marks the date when the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect in 1971, protecting workers’ right to a safe job.
PORTLAND
Oregon State Firefighters Council, IAFF Local 43, Oregon AFL-CIO, Northwest Oregon Labor Council, elected officials, and faith leaders in Portland will gather
- WHEN 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 26
- WHERE Eastbank Esplanade beside Portland Fire and Rescue Station 21, 5 SE Madison St., Portland
SALEM
Oregon AFL-CIO will hold a ceremony at noon joined by workplace safety advocates, elected officials, and faith leaders.
- WHEN 12 p.m. Friday, April 26
- WHERE The Fallen Worker Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Mall, W. Summer Street between Chemeketa and Center, Salem
