Recycling worker transported to hospital after getting leg caught in machine

Written by Ric Wayman
March 2, 2015
A man was transported to the hospital after getting his leg caught in a machine at Dixie Metal Recycling located at 1554 E. 4330 South Circle, St. George, Utah, March 2, 2015 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – A 23-year-old man working at Dixie Metal Recycling, 1554 E. 4330 South Circle, in the Fort Pierce Industrial Complex in St. George was transported to the hospital Monday after getting his leg caught in the cardboard baling machine he was operating at the time.

Facility Supervisor Jay Johnson said he was notified about the accident by a line worker who said the man was baling cardboard in an industrial baler when the accident occurred around 11:45 a.m.

Inside the cardboard baler that injured a worker, St. George, Utah, March 2, 2015 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News
Inside the cardboard baler that injured a worker, St. George, Utah, March 2, 2015 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News

The man was using one leg to push more cardboard in, in violation of safety protocols, and misjudged the timing of the ram that crushes the cardboard, Johnson said.

“If he had been all the way in,” Johnson said, “the ram would not have engaged. Safety features would have kicked in immediately.”

The man was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George with a fractured leg, St. George Police Capt. Tyler Talbot said, adding that the man was awake but in a lot of pain.

Tracy Sandoval, a worker at the plant, was one of the first on the scene.

“He thought he could beat the ram,” Sandoval said. “His leg was caught at the shin line. It’s broken, but I guess it could have been worse.”

This report is based on preliminary information provided by those at the scene and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Email: rwayman@stgnews.com

Twitter: @NewsWayman

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

"I wrote my first word when I was very young. I enjoyed this so much I decided to write many more words." A native of Pacific Palisades, Calif., Ric was bitten by the news bug as a staff writer and associate editor of the Palisades High School Tideline. After school he entered the media as a radio personality, both playing music and reporting news. Ric moved to St. George in the 1980s and was the morning personality on all three major AM stations in town. An avid amateur radio operator, Ric is looking for a good band to play in, as he plays keyboards, bass and guitar. Ric lives in the center of St. George with his partner Terri, two snoring dogs and too many neurotic cats.

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6 Comments

  • Robb March 2, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    Don’t try to beat the ram.

  • fun bag March 2, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    a better idea would of been to not put leg in crusher. what if this would of been a cab crushing machine?

    • Mesaizacd March 3, 2015 at 1:40 pm

      OMG.! a cab crushing machine what has this society come to.? What will Groanbaby and Lunchnut complain about now.!

  • sagemoon March 2, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    Ouch.

  • ladybugavenger March 3, 2015 at 12:22 am

    And that’s why one shouldn’t put body parts in the bailer…lesson learned. Hope your leg heals.

  • Mesaizacd March 3, 2015 at 12:44 pm

    I wasn’t aware the morgue was dropping off unused body parts

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