Former NHL Player Scot Kleinendorst Seriously Injured In Grand Rapids Workplace Accident
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Grand Rapids police say former NHL player Scot Kleinendorst was seriously injured Saturday evening while working at the Blandin Paper Company.
The accident happened at about 6 p.m., when Kleinendorst was operating a crane that was unloading pulp wood. Kleinendorst was ejected from the crane, causing him to suffer serious head injuries and fractures. It is not clear what caused the accident.
He was taken to a Duluth hospital, where he has undergone several surgeries. His current condition is not known.
The paper company released a statement Tuesday.
On the evening of Saturday, December 7, a serious accident occurred at UPM Blandin. Medical personnel provided support on site and the employee was flown by helicopter to the trauma center in Duluth, Minnesota.
We are all shocked by this tragic incident and our immediate thoughts are with our employee and family. We are in contact with the family and will support the family as much as possible in this difficult situation.
The safety of our employees is a cornerstone of our culture and firmly embedded in our everyday processes. We are working to analyze the accident and its potential root causes. Any incident is one too many and we will always make safety our top priority.
We hope you will understand that we cannot provide further details on the accident or the situation of our employee – both in the interest of the employee and the employee's family as well as considering the ongoing investigation.
Kleinendorst played for eight seasons in the NHL, beginning with the New York Rangers in 1982. He also played for the Hartford Whalers and the Washington Capitals, where he ended his professional career in 1990.