Local News in Brief : Westminster : Market Worker Dies Under Load of Meat
A supermarket employee was crushed early Friday morning when a aluminum loading ramp collapsed, pinning him under 500 pounds of meat.
Killed was Richard Ramirez, a 32-year-old Norwalk resident and employee of the Alpha Beta Company. Ramirez had been unloading a truck behind the Alpha Beta store at 8970 Bolsa Ave., police said.
Ramirez was moving a food rack loaded with 500 to 600 pounds of meat across the ramp connecting the truck’s trailer to the store’s loading dock, according to Sgt. Philip Marshall. When the ramp gave way, the meat fell, crushing Ramirez against the dock.
A bolt two to three inches long securing the ramp to the loading dock was found loose, Marshall said. The accident is under investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Ramirez was pronounced dead at the scene after he was found by co-workers at 2:10 a.m. He was last seen alive an hour earlier, Marshall said. The coroner’s office has not completed an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
An Alpha-Beta Co. representative declined comment until the investigation is completed.
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