NORFOLK, Va. — Two men were killed after an industrial accident at Marine Hydraulics International (MHI) in Norfolk on Wednesday.
Norfolk police said Norfolk Fire-Rescue responded to the accident at the midtown pier facility around 8:10 a.m. Wednesday. A man was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
Another man was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. On Wednesday afternoon, police reported he died from his injuries.
“I just saw a bunch of chaos, a bunch of ambulances, fire department, police officers. No one really explained anything," said one contractor to 13News Now, describing the scene he encountered upon arriving to work.
Another contractor was left speechless by the incident. “Stuff like that [doesn’t] happen every day, so it was shocking," they said.
According to reports from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), MHI was cited and fined three times in March 2021 for serious violations.
OSHA reported that loads were not safely rigged, and synthetic web slings were not marked or coded to display rated capacities for each type of hitch and type of synthetic web material, leading to an employee's foot being fractured while on the job. Another report said that the same employee was exposed to a 9-foot fall while using faulty equipment.
Meanwhile, contractors at the facility were left saddened by the incident that occurred Wednesday morning.
“I send a lot of prayers out for the families and friends. Everyone that was affected. It’s really devastating, but prayers goes out to everyone," said one contractor.
Both incidents are being investigated as "undetermined deaths." The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the official manner and cause of death.
Around midnight on Wednesday, MHI released a statement on the incident. Both of the workers who died were independent contractors with MHI, not official MHI employees, they told 13News Now.
"We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of two shipyard workers after an incident at MHI Ship Repair’s midtown facility this morning," the statement says. "Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, as well as with the many impacted workers at our facility. We are committed to supporting them through this difficult time. Safety is our top priority at MHI, and we will work within our own team and with local authorities to investigate the cause of this incident.”