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A Buffalo city worker was crushed to death by a high loader as he helped remove record levels of snow. The individual remains unidentified while the city mourns the loss of an experienced employee.
The Queen City saw an extreme snow blitz that lasted for five days and brought in a record amount of snow at 81.2 inches near Hamburg, New York. The blitz began on November 16 and continued all through until November 22, 2022. The city has been scrambling around town in an effort to clear the snow and make commuting slightly easier.
Unidentified Buffalo worker crushed to death on the job
A member of the Department of Public Works in Buffalo was killed on Wednesday morning while assisting with the snow removal process near McKinley Parkway and Columbus Avenue. He was struck by a high-lift truck that was dropping off a load of snow into a dump truck while traveling in reverse.
The incident occurred at 11:15 am, with the man confirmed dead at the scene, as stated by Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia in a press conference. The identity of the worker is intentionally being withheld until his family is notified.
Mayor Byron Brown spoke of the man's good work ethic and years of experience while announcing the unfortunate incident in a press conference. Brown attested to the man's professionalism, claiming that he worked for the city for "decades" and provided Buffalo with years of good service. He said:
“This is an individual that is well known to all of us, someone who has worked in city government as I indicated for decades. Someone with a wealth of experience who has given much to city service over those decades.”
The truck was operated by a third party and was hired for work by the city. The man driving the truck has been detained, and according to Mayor Brown, he was "in shock" following the incident. It is also reported that the driver is fully cooperating with further investigation.
Brown further commented on the efforts of the city workers as they slog in harsh conditions, suffering through long shifts to complete their work. He acknowledged their hard work and commended them for their efforts. He said:
"We know that there is tremendous grief in the workforce right now. We know that people have been working 16-, 18-hour shifts, working on very little sleep."
Despite the above comment, Brown announced that there was "no evidence" to show that lack of sleep or fatigue from long work hours is a contributing factor to the incident.
The city of Buffalo will be suspending its snow removal efforts until Friday in light of the tragic event. The process will resume on Friday at 7 am. Before the incident, the city was projected to completely remove the snow by Wednesday night.
This incident marks the fifth death since the city was pummeled by the snowstorm. Three people died from cardiac arrest after shoveling snow. while a 74-year-old man lost his life after crashing his car during the storm on Tuesday.
