City worker killed in Willoughby after asphalt roller goes out of control
A 50-year-old city worker was killed after police in Willoughby, Ohio, said the asphalt roller he was using starting rolling downhill uncontrollably. (Photo courtesy: Willoughby Police Department)
Posted: 06/13/2012
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio - A city service worker in Willoughby died after police said he fell off a machine that was rolling out of control down a hill.
According to Sgt. Jim Schultz with the Willoughby Police Department, 50-year-old Shawn Wilson was operating an asphalt roller on Strawberry Lane Monday at about 11:02 a.m., when the drive chain snapped off for an unknown reason. This caused the roller to start accelerating downhill.
A witness told police it appeared Wilson tried to shift the roller into gear as it rolled, but that did not stop the roller.
Schultz said that as the roller approached a large tree on the side of the road, Wilson fell off the roller and struck his head on the road.
The roller continued going, struck the curb and flipped over on its top. It then flipped back over on its side and stopped in front of another tree.
Paramedics transported Wilson to Lake Medical Center in Willoughby, and then taken by helicopter to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. He died early Tuesday morning.
"Our prayers go out to his children and family," said Schultz.
Willoughby police and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office are both investigating the incident.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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