A recent graduate of Whiteland Community High School died during a workplace accident at a Greenwood warehouse last week, and state officials are investigating.
Timothy “TJ” Rich Jr., 18, of Bargersville, died while working at the Aldi warehouse on Stop 18 Road, just off U.S. 31, on July 2, Johnson County Chief Deputy Coroner David Lutz said. Rich was working at the warehouse as an employee of S&H Transportation, according to the state agency that investigates the circumstances surrounding workplace deaths.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death, agency spokesperson Stephanie McFarland said. The Johnson County Coroner’s Office also launched a death investigation.
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It is unclear, what, if any, investigation Greenwood police is conducting. The department did not return multiple messages on Monday.
Rich graduated from Whiteland Community High School last month. He enjoyed video games and internet research and loved his dog, Captain, according to the obituary his family placed. His parents are Timothy Wayne Rich Sr. and Patricia Ann Rich. His visitation and funeral were conducted on Sunday and Monday.
Rich died about 4:45 p.m. July 2 after he was loading a truck in the discount grocer’s warehouse and a dock plate came down, killing the teen, Lutz said. A dock plate can be used in a warehouse to bridge the gap between a truck and the warehouse floor. The cause of death was asphyxia by mechanical compression of the neck, he said.
Greenwood police were called to the warehouse at 5:11 p.m. July 2. The coroner’s investigation has determined that Rich died about 30 minutes before 911 was called, according to dispatch records.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident. The death was reported to the state agency within an hour and a half after it was discovered, which is standard, McFarland said.
IOSHA does not make determinations on who or what is liable for the accident, but IOSHA investigators are looking into whether state workplace safety measures were followed leading up to to the incident, she said. Investigations typically take one to two months to complete, McFarland said.
An employee who answered the phone at the Greenwood office of S&H Transportation said that any comments regarding what happened would need to come from Aldi. Aldi’s corporate office did not respond to multiple requests for comments.
