19 Year Old Working In Montrose Township Becomes Michigan’s 39th Worker To Die This Year

A 19-year-old working in Montrose Township lost his life this week, and he is now the 39th worker in Michigan to die on the job this year. I'm not sure how that compares to other years, but honestly, it feels like a very high number.

That number alone is awful, but knowing this one was only 19 just hits way harder.

According to ABC 12, he was out on Wilson Road on Tuesday afternoon helping pick up equipment and materials at a job site where crews had been installing fiber optic cables. Just a normal day at work. Nothing wild or dangerous sounding.

MIOSHA says the mini excavator he was running was parked on a slope that was wet, muddy, and covered with patches of snow and ice. The machine started sliding sideways, the whole thing tipped, and he ended up partially thrown out of the cab. The excavator came down on top of him, and he died right there at the scene.

Police and MIOSHA are still trying to piece together exactly what went wrong. They have not released his name or the name of the company yet, while they sort through everything.

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It is just one of those stories that punches you right in the gut. You show up to work thinking you are going to finish your shift and head home like always. This kid never even got the chance.

It is hard not to think about my own son, who is 20 and also works around dangerous equipment. Stuff like this hits a whole lot differently when you have a kid in that same age range doing similar work. You really can't help but picture them and imagine how fast everything can change.