A man shocked while repairing a piece of equipment Tuesday at Aunt Millie’s Bakeries downtown has died.
Richard D. Warren, 50, of Morris, Ill., was pronounced dead at St. Joseph Hospital about 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Allen County Coroner’s Office.
An autopsy performed Wednesday determined he was accidentally electrocuted. Perfection Bakery officials said Warren was employed by VIM Recyclers, an Aurora, Ill.-based industrial company, providing commercial waste disposal services.
Warren was repairing a baler machine, owned by VIM Recyclers, that was on the Aunt Millie’s property, 350 Pearl St., when the accident occurred.
During the repairs to the machine, which is used to compress cardboard boxes, the man appeared to have been shocked by a power source near the baler, company officials said.
“He (Warren) was standing up on the machine when he possibly came into contact with some electrical wiring … fell backward, striking his head and becoming wedged between the wall and the machine,” a Fort Wayne police report states.
Aunt Millie’s released a statement Wednesday: “We are all very saddened by this, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his co-workers at VIM Recyclers.”
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified and has started an investigation, said Sean Keefer, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Labor.
A compliance officer is interviewing company officials and employees as part of the investigation, which is routine for any workplace death, he said.
The investigation will determine whether there were any safety hazards that led to the accident and whether it could have been prevented, Keefer said.
“If something were to be contrary to IOSHA standards, then there is a potential for fines or citations,” he said.
The investigation is expected to take several weeks to complete, Keefer said.
The Fort Wayne-based commercial bakery employs about 250 people in Fort Wayne.
