Worker Impaled In Construction Accident Identified

MASON, Ohio -- A worker who was killed early Thursday in a construction accident has been identified.

Video

Grief Counselors Brought In For Co-Workers

The accident happened at about 4 a.m. on Mason-Montgomery Road near the bridge at Interstate 71 in Deerfield Township, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Monica Abler reported.

The victim, William Shearn, 34, of Middletown, Ohio, apparently was part of a crew using a trench-digging machine to install water pipes.

Shearn was impaled when two parts of the machine came apart, Abler reported.

---

Slideshow: Images From The Accident Scene

---

Shearn remained conscious at first, but he died about an hour after the accident.

"The injuries were too severe for the crews to continue and the doctor at the scene had to pronounce the patient, unfortunately," Deerfield Township Deputy Fire Chief Nathan Bromen said.

Deerfield Township Fire Chief William Kramer said the backhoe involved in the accident is used for two purposes, which may have contributed to the accident.

"It has both a claw bucket for the excavation as well as a lifting mechanism for actually lifting and setting the pipe into place," he said. "Probably when the claw mechanism was reattached to the backhoe the second time, evidently it didn't latch completely because there was a separation."

A second man was trapped in the trench, but he could not be freed until rescuers removed the body of the man who died, Abler reported. The second man was not injured.

Grief counselors were called to the scene to help the Shearn's co-workers deal with the accident.

The southbound lanes of Mason-Montgomery Road remained closed most through the morning hours while the accident is investigated, but the northbound lanes were open, WLWT reported.

Stay tuned to WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com for updates.