SWANSEA, Ill. — A lifelong worker of Century Casting in Swansea was killed after being crushed by machinery at the metal-casting company Friday morning.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. identified the man as 59-year-old Mark Mattern of Albers, Illinois.
The Swansea Police Chief Steve Johnson told 5 On Your Side that a large piece of machinery collapsed on Mattern at the company in the 1100 block of N. Illinois Street.
"At 6 a.m., we got a 911 call that a 59-year-old male had been smashed in a piece of hydraulic machinery," Johnson said.
Workers called 911, and first responders from the nearby police and fire departments rushed to the scene.
"It is a dangerous job and safety is very, very important," he said.
Officers, firefighters and Mattern's coworkers worked together and used an iron pole to wedge the machinery off of him, but he was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:44 a.m. after first responders attempted CPR.
Johnson said Mattern had worked at Century Casting his "whole life." Now the only thing they can do is try to make sense of how this all happened.
"Our job is to get to the bottom of it and figure out how this tragic accident happened," Johnson said.
It is unclear what led up to the collapse. The police department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating. An autopsy is expected to be completed Friday afternoon.
Century Casting shared a statement with 5 On Your Side, saying "The Century Castings family is greatly saddened by the loss of a longtime team member earlier today. We extend our deepest condolences to family members, loved ones, and all those affected. Century Castings is fully cooperating with the investigation of this incident."
This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.