Joyce E. Williams
67
Joyce E. Williams
10/24/1961 - 11/18/2004
Asphalt roller strikes INDOT worker, killing her
Greensburg -- An asphalt roller struck and killed an Indiana Department of Transportation employee Thursday in Decatur County, state officials said.
Joyce E. Williams, 43, Edinburgh, was killed in a work zone near Ind. 46 and County Road 750 West. She was standing about 5 feet away from the asphalt roller when it suddenly accelerated forward and crushed her. Two other state transportation employees nearby dodged the roller.
Officials said it remains unclear why the roller lurched forward. An investigation is continuing.
A state construction inspector, Williams was described by colleagues as well-liked and dedicated. She was a 10-year veteran of the Transportation Department.
Her death came two days after a Tippecanoe County highway department employee was crushed and killed by a dump truck near Lafayette.
Williams is the first state transportation employee to be killed on the job in more than a decade, officials said.
Source: The Indianapolis Star 11/19/2004
InDOT Worker Killed in 46 Accident
An Indiana Department of Transportation worker was killed instantly Thursday after being struck by a roller at a construction site on Indiana 46.
The accident occurred near County Road 750 West in Decatur County.
Joyce Williams, 43 of Columbus, was pronounced dead at the scene, shortly before 9:30 a.m., by the coroner.
She was a quality control employee overseeing the work being done by Milestone Paving on the massive project on the road connecting Bartholomew and Decatur counties. Milestone is contracted by the state to do the road widening and repairs.
Williams was standing at the entrance of the bridge near 750 West with two other INDOT employees when the accident occurred.
According to police reports, a 2004 Caterpillar Construction Asphalt Roller suddenly and for unknown reasons accelerated toward the three state workers standing between five and six feet behind. Two were able to get out of the way in time but were unable to catch the attention of Williams who apparently never saw or heard the vehicle. She was crushed under the rear roller of the dual-directional vehicle. She was under the cab area when police and EMS arrived minutes later. No rescue attempts could be made.
Williams was wearing all of her safety equipment, including a reflective vest and hat, when she was killed.
The driver of this type of roller sits approximately seven to eight feet high and faces to the side. The two rollers, side to side, are slightly less than five feet high.
Per Indiana law, the driver was required to undergo blood and alcohol screening as would anyone involved in a serious or fatal vehicle accident. The results of the tests are not yet available.
The driver was questioned at the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department but will be allowed to return to work.
“The workers at the scene were in shock,” said the Decatur County Sheriff. “They had been working with each other and the victim all summer. It is obvious they had formed relationships and this was very upsetting to them all.”
The road was open to single-lane traffic at the time of the incident.
The 10-15 members of the construction crews ended their work for the day and reopened the road in both directions. They were wedging the two entrances to the bridge when Williams was killed.
“This was an unfortunate set of circumstances which led to a tragic accident,” said an Indiana State Trooper who is handling the investigation which is being treated as a fatal vehicle crash.
Deputies from the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department and firefighters from Burney also responded.
Williams, a veteran employee, is the first INDOT employee killed on a job site since January of 2003.
Earlier this week, a Tippecanoe County roads superintendent was killed when an asphalt truck backed over him as he talked on his cell phone. He was not an INDOT employee.
Source: Greensburg Daily News, 11/19/2004
Asphalt roller kills Edinburgh INDOT worker
Investigators are examining what caused an asphalt construction roller to lurch forward Thursday and fatally crush a state road inspector standing nearby.
Two other state transportation employees dodged the roller, but were not able to save Joyce E. Williams, 43, of Edinburgh.
The accident happened about 9:13 a.m. near Greensburg, according to an Indiana State Police trooper.
Williams, a construction inspector for the Indiana Department of Transportation, and two co-workers were realigning a 6.4-mile stretch of State Road 46, located about eight miles west of Greensburg near Decatur County Road 750W.
Workers had one lane shut down and had diverted traffic to the other lane as the roller smoothed asphalt, the State Police trooper said.
The roller, operated by Milestone Contractors of Indianapolis unexpectedly lurched forward and hit Williams, who was standing in the work zone about six feet away, the State Police trooper said.
The driver told police he yelled to Williams and her co-workers but they could not hear him because of the noise produced by the machine’s engine, the State Police trooper said.
The Seymour man remained on the roller and tried to regain control, but was unable to stop the equipment before it struck Williams, the State Police trooper said.
“He came to a stop as he should have, but for unknown reasons the roller did not stop,” the State Police trooper said.
A Milestone employee dialed 911, he said.
She was pronounced dead at the scene because of a crushing trauma to her chest, the Decatur County Coroner said.
Weighing more than 27,000 pounds, the roller was made by Caterpillar Inc., the State Police trooper said.
A Caterpillar spokesman did not immediately know about the accident Friday and was unable to provide any information about the equipment.
“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” the Milestone spokesman said. “We’re in a very dangerous business, and we know that, but we try to look at safety everyday.”
The machine’s driver has been with the company for seven years and has been in the construction business operating dangerous equipment for 20 years, the spokesman said. He has an excellent record without any safety blemishes, he said.
All employees meet in a huddle to talk about safety every morning, a Milestone spokesman said. They also receive training based on their job requirements, such as how to use equipment, what speed to drive at and the density of the roller.
State police have impounded the roller and plan to conduct technical and mechanical inspections early next week, the State Police trooper said. He said the police will work with Caterpillar and Milestone to determine what happened.
The driver is not working until the investigation is complete, the Milestone spokesman said.
Once the police investigation is complete, investigators will ask the Decatur County prosecutor’s office to review the incident and determine what, if any, charges will be filed, he said.
A woman reached by telephone Friday identified herself as the driver's wife, but declined to speak and said her husband was not willing to talk about the incident.
Source: www.thejournalnet.com 11/19/2004
Inspector Crushed By Construction Vehicle
GREENSBURG, Ind. -- A state construction inspector standing near a highway work zone was killed Thursday when an asphalt roller lurched forward, crushing her.
Two other state transportation employees standing nearby dodged the roller, but were unable to rescue Joyce E. Williams, 43, of Edinburgh.
Williams was standing about 5 feet from the asphalt roller when it suddenly accelerated and crushed her on Indiana 46 about seven miles west of Greensburg.
An investigation is under way to determine why the roller lurched forward, killing her in the work zone about 35 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
Colleagues said Williams, a graduate of Columbus North High School who was a 10-year veteran of the Indiana Department of Transportation, was well-liked and dedicated.
She is the first state transportation employee to be killed on the job in more than a decade, officials said.
Williams' death comes two days after a Tippecanoe County highway department employee was crushed and killed by a dump truck near Lafayette.
Source: www.theindychannel.com 11/18/2004
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