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BY KEITH BENMAN
kbenman@nwitimes.com
219.933.3326 | Sunday, May 08, 2005 | (No comments posted.)
William Maffitt enjoyed fishing with his sons and never shied away from work that was dirty, hazardous or hard.
While working on just such a job Friday, Maffitt, 45, was killed when a chunk of debris fell on him from above, slamming his head against the 30-foot high hopper he was working in.
"He was just an excellent worker, which is what probably got him killed in the first place," his mother, Toni Maffitt, said Saturday.
Maffitt, 45, who lived in Gary's Miller neighborhood, died of blunt force trauma to his head and neck, which was broken by the force of the blow, according to Porter County Deputy Coroner Martin Moeller.
He then fell into the fine powder he had been vacuuming out of the hopper, which had a "quicksand effect" and swallowed him up, Moeller said.
It took hours for Portage firefighters to extract the body. They finally had to cut a hole in the side of the hopper to pull him out.
It was the 12th fatal accident at an area steel plant in the past five years. Four of those occurred last year.
Maffitt was working for subcontractor Eagle Service Corp., of Valparaiso, along with at least two others to clean out what is known as the "bag-house" facility at the mill, according to Beta Steel President David Pryzbylski.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the employees of Eagle Service who were clearly very distressed and distraught at the accident," Pryzbylski said.
Portage Assistant Fire Chief Ray Blazek on Friday night said three co-workers of Maffitt's were taken to the hospital and treated for distress. On Saturday, Portage firefighters said no further information on the incident would be available until Monday.
Eagle Service officials could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Beta Steel produces steel slabs in a melt shop which are then turned into steel coils in its hot strip mill. The bag house has hoppers separated into compartments that collect dust and debris produced during the steelmaking process.
Maffitt was inside the hopper wearing a safety harness while another Eagle Service employee stood lookout at a 2-foot-by-2-foot hatch door, Moeller said.
When Maffitt was struck and fell into the fine powder at the hopper's bottom, his co-worker tried to pull him out by tugging on the harness but to no avail, Moeller said. The debris that struck him from above appeared to be a large, congealed chunk of the same material.
Toni Maffitt said her phone rang about 7:30 p.m. Friday and an official told her William had been killed in an accident at the mill.
William's 18-year-old son, Anthony, was with her when she got the call. In addition, Maffitt leaves behind a son who is in the Air Force and a 13-year-old daughter. He was divorced from his wife.
Toni Maffitt said William had phoned her earlier Friday from Beta Steel and told her about the dust-like powder in the hopper and how his foot at one point had slipped into it.
"That wasn't usual for him to call me," she said.
Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration investigators were working with Eagle Service on Saturday to investigate the incident, Pryzbylski said. Beta Steel officials also were available to help with the investigation.
In February of 2002, OSHA cited Beta Steel for a serious violation of machinery safety standards and for two lesser violations. The company ended up paying a $560 fine, according to OSHA's on-line inspections database.
Toni Maffitt said she wanted to know Friday night if William had suffered. She was told death probably came quickly. That was confirmed by Saturday's coroner's report.
William had taken care of his mother and his sister after they were involved in a 2003 auto accident and continued living at their home.
He had worked for a time in California for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. doing asbestos removal. He never shied away from any job, no matter how difficult, Toni Maffitt said. Perhaps not always by choice.
"He was just a very dedicated worker," she said. "And nowadays it's hard to get a job at all, so once he got one, he would just work as many hours as he could work."
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