Worker dies after becoming pinned in machinery at steel plant

A Fort Wayne man died early Friday in an industrial incident at a northeast Indiana steel plant, authorities said.

Investigators believe Kevin Hartsock was working on machinery at the Heidtman Steel plant in Butler when he became pinned inside it, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said.

First responders say Hartsock was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident occurred around 2 a.m., the sheriff’s office said.

The cause of death was not immediately released.

A receptionist at the plant said the Toledo, Ohio-based company had no immediate comment due to the pending investigation.

U.S. Department of Labor data shows another workplace death occurred at the plant around midnight on Dec. 22, 2020, WPTA-TV reported.

“The employee suffered fatal injuries when a steel coil he was lifting with a crane swung out and pinned him against another stack of coils,” a Labor Department report said.

Friday’s incident is the third workplace death in the region in the past month.

On May 3, Brian Scott Conley, 56, died after being injured at the Prestress Services Industries manufacturing plant in Decatur in what the company called a tragic accident. Less than a week later, Caes David Gruesbeck, 20, died after an accident at an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Fort Wayne.