Mpls. Man Killed In Supervalu Warehouse Accident
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An industrial accident in Hopkins claimed the life of a 51-year-old Minneapolis man Sunday afternoon.
At around 2:30 p.m., Hopkins police and fire crews were dispatched to the Supervalu warehouse in Hopkins, located at 300 2nd Avenue South, on the report of an injured employee.
When emergency responders arrived, they found the man pinned underneath a piece of equipment and severely injured. He was declared deceased on scene.
"The machine that hit him is so big of a machine that it didn't make a sound," Supervalu employee Rick Dennie, who was working in the warehouse at the time of the accident, said.
Later Sunday, the victim was identified as Perry Goffard. His wife told WCCO that he had worked for the company for over 15 years.
A Supervalu employee told WCCO many of them had been working mandatory seven day work weeks.
"I worked here 13 years, six years ago we had more business and we never had to work seven days a week mandatory," Dennie said.
A representative for Supervalu responded in a statement:
"Our concern today is for the employee's family, as well as all of our employees, who are dealing with this difficult tragedy. Any speculation regarding the cause of the incident is premature until the investigation is complete."
Hopkins Police Sgt. Mike Glassberg says in his 20 years in the department, he can only remember two fatal accidents at most at Supervalu.
"I know they have shut down the plant today obviously for the investigation and to take care of their employees," Glassberg said.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators are working with Hopkins Police and Supervalu to investigate the accident.