The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the death of a 47-year-old West Dundee man who was killed Friday while installing a sign on a tower at Geneva Commons.
“A worker was crushed while he was in his aerial lift while he was working on a sign,” said OSHA spokesman Scott Allen. “We do have two OSHA compliance officers at the scene. We’re conducting interviews with potential witnesses, the employer and employees.”
Authorities said Donald J. Tentler, 47, was killed in the accident, which occurred at about 11:48 a.m. Friday. Tentler and another worker were at the top of the bell tower, according to a media release from the city of Geneva.
Firefighters found Tentler unconscious and unresponsive, and he was later pronounced dead at the scene. The other worker was able to walk down a fire truck ladder, but it took three hours to remove Tentler’s body from the bell tower.
The Kane County coroner’s office said it received a call from Geneva police around 12:30 p.m. to respond to the shopping center off Randall Road for a “deceased subject.” Emergency personnel at the scene were observed removing a body from the area at about 3 p.m.
Kane County Coroner Rob Russell said an autopsy is scheduled for Monday and he offered his condolences to Tentler’s family.
“It seems to be some kind of mechanical malfunction. Whether it was human error or mechanical (failure), I don’t know,” Russell said. “The worker was pinned by the lifting device.”
Fire agencies assisting Geneva at the scene included St. Charles, West Chicago, and Batavia. Fermilab firefighters filled in at Geneva’s fire station.
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