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Berkeley Plant Worker Dies In Industrial Accident

BERKELEY (CBS SF) - A San Pablo man died from head trauma suffered in an industrial accident at a manufacturing plant in Berkeley last week, according to the Alameda County coroner's bureau.

Ariel Munoz-Garcia, a 30-year-old employee at Berkeley Forge and Tool, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident at 1330 Second St. at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the coroner's bureau.

Patricia Ortiz, a spokeswoman for the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said that the accident remains under investigation.

Ortiz said the industrial accident that resulted in the death of Munoz-Garcia is believed to have occurred on Thursday around 10:20 p.m. when an 8-inch wheel from a pneumatic hand grinder broke into pieces and fatally struck Muniz-Garcia in the left side of his head.

According to the coroner's bureau, Munoz-Garcia died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head with a penetrating foreign body.

"Our responsibility is to conduct a thorough investigation and to use the information to prevent similar accidents," Ortiz said.

Paul Bierwith, a co-owner of Berkeley Forge and Tool, a manufacturer of mining products, which employees between 80 and 100 workers in Berkeley, said the tragic accident at the facility happened during an overnight shift.

Bierwith said that the death of Munoz-Garcia is the sole fatality in the company's 65-year history of operation in Berkeley.

"The company is deeply saddened and our hearts go out to his family," Bierwith said.

 

 

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

 

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