Southwest Employee Driving Luggage Vehicle Killed In Crash At Midway
(CBS) -- Police are investigating an incident late Friday night at Midway Airport in which a baggage handler was killed.
According to police, just after 11 p.m. a man driving a luggage vehicle near the Southwest Airlines gate area collided with another luggage hauler and was ejected from the vehicle.
The man was taken to Advocate Christ Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. The medical examiner identified the victim as 52-year-old Michael Yates of Carol Stream. He is a former DuPage County sheriff's deputy who retired last year,
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Yates was a Southwest employee, the company confirmed, and a source said the crash occurred after he had offloaded luggage from a plane.
A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines released a statement saying, "Our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time. Resources will be on site to support our Southwest Family at Midway."
Police are investigating the circumstances and it appears no one else was injured.
