DTE worker killed on the job after struck by falling equipment in Oakland County

CLARKSTON (WWJ) - A 61-year-old DTE worker was killed in northern Oakland County Tuesday evening after a piece of equipment fell on top of him, authorities say.

According to the latest report from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), the fatal incident occurred on April 4 just after 7 p.m. at an electrical substation in Clarkston.

The report states the electrical maintenance journeyman from Milford was working with several other people to dismantle a transformer when a radiator assembly came loose and struck him, causing fatal injuries.

Authorities with the Independence Township Fire Department responded to the scene and found the employee lying on the ground. They immediately started life-saving procedures, but the 61-year-old was pronounced dead a short while later at a local hospital

According to MIOSHA, this is the seventh workplace-related death so far this year. In 2022, there were 43 MIOSHA-related fatalities.

The latest fatality comes less than a week after a 39-year-old emergency medical technician was struck and killed by an oncoming car when he stopped to help an Oak Park woman who had crashed on I-75.

The woman was also fatally struck.