ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 57-year-old worker unloading doors at Manning Building Supplies in St. Augustine was crushed Tuesday afternoon when the load shifted. Dwight Cook died at the scene, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
A witness said several men were moving heavy doors from one trailer to another about 1 p.m. when one man dropped a door, shaking the trailer. Three other doors, weighing about 200 pounds each, fell on the victim.
The witness said Cook, of St. Augustine, was checking labels and didn't see the doors falling.
"It took four of us to get the doors off of him," the witness told News4Jax. "By the time we got the doors off of him, I jumped off the truck to get him medical assistance. Police got here within less than 10 minutes, but it was too late.”
St. Johns County Fire Rescue was unable to revive the victim. The Medical Examiner's Office will make a final ruling on the cause of death.
Manning Building Supplies' Florida locations have been cited for violations on three separate occasions. The company had three violations at their previous St. Augustine location – two of which were serious for stairways and head protection,]; the third was for training requirements. The company moved from that location to the current location off Sgt. Tutton Drive.