Victim killed at hospital site identified as Worthington man

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun to investigate how a worker was crushed to death Wednesday when an elevator dropped on him at the construction site for the new Mount Carmel Grove City Hospital.

The victim was identified Thursday as Randy Wilson by thyssenkrupp Elevator Company, a German-based company with operations in North America and a local branch office in Westerville. The company did not provide any additional details.

Wilson, 45, had recently moved to the Worthington area, said his sister, Darbie Everhart of Dublin.

Wilson was at the bottom of an elevator shaft that was under construction when the elevator car — believed to weigh around 1,000 pounds — came down on top of him, said Larry M. Johnson, area director for OSHA’s Columbus office.

Jackson Township Fire paramedics were called at 12:53 p.m. Wednesday and pronounced Wilson dead at the scene.

OSHA immediately became aware of the incident through news accounts. “We’ve just opened that investigation and we’re at the preliminary stages,” Johnson said Thursday.

Construction has been ongoing at the new fivestory hospital, which will Wilson include an expanded emergency department, a new patient tower and surgical suite, and intensive care, maternity, oncology and palliative-care services. The facility’s targeted opening is in November.

Meanwhile, Wilson’s family is mourning his loss.

“He had an unbelievable energy. He was a huge presence,” Everhart said of her younger brother. “He had a unique way to make everyone feel welcome and had friends from all walks of life.”

She said he leaves behind a longtime girlfriend. They were raising her daughter and a 4-year-old daughter they had together, Everhart said.