A workplace incident in east Coffey County last week killed an Arkansas man.
Coffey County Sheriff Tom Johnson says the incident happened shortly after 11 am Sept. 19 near the intersection of 12th Road and Verdure Road, nearly 10 miles east of Burlington. Deputies and rescue personnel responded after reports of a worker pinned by a heavy drilling auger while loading a truck at a laydown site, or a temporary storage location for construction equipment. Johnson says the worker, 32-year-old Colby Benjamin Beard of Parkville, Arkansas, was likely killed instantly.
The investigation shows the auger shifted while Beard was helping to secure it to a trailer using a chain and what’s called a “come-along” tool, or a hand-operated winch that uses a ratchet mechanism to move heavy objects.
Beard was employed by Energy Erectors of Leesburg, Florida.
