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CO.RD. 91 & 210TH ST E, NEW MARKET, MN 55054
Standard 19100177 C01
Standard 5207091001
Employee killed when struck by flying tire rim
At about 2:20 p.m. on July 10, 1992, Employee #1, a welder/mechanic/heavy equipm ent repairman, was going to remove a wheel from a road tester to repair the axle . The axle was propped up and the tire was off the ground. The tire was a large (18 by 25) tractor type with tube, mounted on a three piece bolt-together split or multi-piece rim, holding 70 psi. Earlier in the shift, the site superintenden t observed smoke coming from the tire as it rubbed the body of the road tester. Employee #1 did not release the air pressure and began to remove what he probabl y thought were the lug nuts with an air wrench. He was actually removing the whe el nuts and after he removed the 19th of 20 nuts the rim and tire exploded apart . The flying outer ring flange struck him in the face and upper body. He was thr own 45 ft and died instantly.
Data sourced from Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry, Minnesota Attorney General, federal OSHA, and municipal permit offices. Records are public and may not reflect pending appeals or corrections.