Iowa construction worker dies after being pinned by piece of equipment in Mahaska County

A construction worker died Wednesday at a Mahaska County jobsite after being pinned by a piece of equipment.

Officers from the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office responded to a medical call around 5 p.m. Wednesday in the 3300 block of Highway 92, where a bridge over the North Skunk River is currently under construction.

While first responders were en route to the call, "it was learned that a construction worker had been pinned by a piece of construction equipment," according to a news release from the Mahaska County Sheriff's Office.

The man was identified as Pablo Jesus Gomez-Garcia, 46, of Ottumwa.

Other construction workers were able to free Gomez-Garcia before first responders arrived, but he died on the scene.

He was transported to the Iowa State Medical Examiner's Office where an autopsy will be conducted. The Mahaska County Sheriff's Office is continuing an investigation into Gomez-Garcia's death.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were a total of 58 fatal work injuries in Iowa during 2020. Of those injuries, the second-most frequent type was contact with objects or equipment, with nine fatalities. Transportation incidents ranked highest with 32 fatalities that year.

Grace Altenhofen is a news reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at galtenhofen@registermedia.com or on Twitter @gracealtenhofen.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa construction worker dead after being pinned by equipment in Mahaska County