Posted on 02/01/2004 9:10:55 PM PST by Ryan Bailey
From THE VINELAND DAILY JOURNAL, 26JAN04 “Worker loses arms in conveyor mishap” By JAMES P. QUARANTA Staff Writer; jquaranta@thedailyjournal.com
COMMERCIAL -- A Bridgeton man's arms were severed Monday morning in an industrial accident at a Bivalve clam-processing plant, state police said. John Lackey, 27, of Skyline Drive was treated at South Jersey Healthcare, Newcomb Hospital after the 7:15 a.m. accident at Surfside Products Inc., said Trooper Jamie Ablett of the Port Norris state police barracks. Lackey was transferred to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he was listed in critical condition. State police gave this account: Lackey was working as a maintenance man at the Shell Road plant when he tried to free a frozen conveyor. After the machinery began moving, a piece of his clothing got caught in the gears and both of his arms were cut off, Ablett said. At least two other employees managed to shut down the conveyor and rescue Lackey. They were traumatized by the incident, however, and left for the day before state police could interview them. No information was available about how the clothing got snagged by the machine or whether it conformed to the processing plant's operating procedures. A woman who answered the telephone Monday at Surfside Products refused to say if the plant continued operations that day. Plant manager Cliff Johnson did not return calls seeking comment.
From THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY, 27JAN04 “Machine severs Bridgeton man’s arms” By ANDREW JOHNSON Staff Writer, (856) 794-5111
COMMERCIAL TOWNSHIP - Snow both aided and hindered the rescue of a 27-year-old plant worker who lost both arms - one at the shoulder - Monday after a conveyor belt pulled him into a machine, police said.
Unable to airlift him because of inclement weather, medics on the scene on High Street in Port Norris packed both badly damaged arms in new snow, placed them in a cooler and sent them, with the injured man, to the hospital.
John Lackey, of Bridgeton, Cumberland County, was in critical condition at Cooper Health System in Camden on Monday night after the early morning accident, according to officials.
Officials said the maintenance worker was in the intensive care unit and would not comment on any possible efforts to reattach Lackey's arms.
Millville Rescue Squad Chief John Redden said his crew described the arms as "mangled," making any reconnection possibly difficult.
One of the arms was cut off between the elbow and shoulder, Redden said, adding that his crew recovered the arms and wrapped them in snow.
In 30 years of serving a rural area with many plants, where industrial accidents occur, he said this accident was the worst.
State Police Trooper Russ Spence, of the Port Norris barracks, said the accident occurred at 7:18 a.m. at Surfside Products Inc. The processing plant, where Lackey is employed, separates clams and oysters, he said.
Spence said Lackey appeared to get caught up in the gear shaft of the machine. He was unsure if Lackey usually worked around the machine.
It was unclear if there were eyewitnesses to the accident, the state trooper said, but employees rushed to help the trapped man.
Port Norris medics, together with employees, extracted the man from the machinery.
Towels were applied to stop the bleeding at the scene, police said.
Redden said his crew told him Lackey was "conscious, alert and coherent."
He said that his crew - Stuart Bardoe, John Siligato, Megan Oliver and Kevin Yeager - asked him medical questions, and Lackey calmly answered them.
One problem was that a helicopter could not land in the bad weather, Redden said. So an ambulance first took Lackey to South Jersey Hospital-Newcomb in Vineland. After he was stabilized, another ambulance then drove him to Cooper.
Newcomb officials refused to comment on the man's treatment Monday.
Cooper hospital officials said the man's mother, father and sister were at the hospital Monday in Camden.
From THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 28JAN04 “Worker at N.J. plant loses both his arms” By Sam Wood Inquirer Staff Writer PORT NORRIS, N.J. - A mechanic at a Cumberland County seafood-processing plant was in critical condition last night after both his arms were ripped from his body by a piece of machinery, authorities said. John W. Lackey, 26, of Bridgeton, had been defrosting a piece of heavy equipment at Surfside Products on Monday morning when he backed into the gear box of a conveyor belt, said Trooper Jaime Ablett of the New Jersey State Police. The belt started up suddenly, and Lackey's work jacket became caught in the gears. He was unable to shed his jacket. The jacket was pulled into the machinery "and Lackey along with it," Ablett said. The conveyor belt carried heavy loads of clams from an outside dock into the plant. Lackey's arms were severed from the shoulders. His coworkers rushed to his side and wrapped him with towels to stanch the bleeding. The arms were found nearby, packed in snow and ice, and sent with Lackey to the hospital, police said. Lackey was taken to South Jersey Hospital Systems in Millville, where he was stabilized. Yesterday, he was transferred to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. "He's really bad off," said Bob Stonestreet, Lackey's stepfather. "We don't know if he'll pull through." Doctors at Cooper decided that the arms were too damaged to be reattached, Stonestreet said. Lackey has worked at Surfside for several years and had risen through the ranks to become head mechanic at the plant, Stonestreet said. "He probably made the conveyer belt himself."
From THE BRIDGETON EVENING NEWS
Accident victim is critical Wednesday, January 28, 2004 By JEAN JONES Staff Writer COMMERCIAL TWP. -- The victim of an industrial accident Monday at the Surfside Products clam processing plant at Bivalve is in critical condition, according to state police. Twenty-seven-year-old John W. Lackey, of Bridgeton, lost both arms when his clothing caught in a machine shortly after 7 a.m. Monday, pulling him in and mangling and detaching both arms. Trooper Jaime Ablett said Lackey was working on a new machine which had become frozen due to the cold weather. "He was trying to unfreeze it with hot water when it started, and pulled him in," Ablett said. Lackey was taken to South Jersey Healthcare, Newcomb, by the Millville Rescue Squad, then transferred to Cooper Hospital, where he remains. First reported to be in stable condition, Ablett said when he called to inquire about lackey's condition Tuesday afternoon he was told he is critical. While Millville Rescue personnel recovered the arms, packing them in snow and transporting them with Lackey, it is unknown whether any attempt could be made to re-attach them. The telephone at Surfside has been continually busy for the past two days and no one could be reached for further information.
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