Coroner identifies Decatur GE employee killed in workplace accident

DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — A Decatur GE employee died during a workplace accident Wednesday morning, a spokesperson with the company confirmed to News 19.

According to GE spokesperson Julie Wood, the incident happened at the Decatur refrigeration plant. The company is working with local authorities to determine the cause of the accident.

Wood said the first shift was sent home after the accident, and production for the second and third shifts was canceled out of respect for the Decatur team.

“The GE Appliances team is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our employees this morning at our Decatur refrigeration plant. We are working with local law enforcement to understand the cause of this tragic accident and contacting the family of the employee to offer our assistance,” the spokesperson said.

Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn has identified the employee as 58-year-old Rodney Terry, of Town Creek.

GE also released a statement Wednesday afternoon offering its condolences and praising both Terry’s work and his care for his coworkers.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of our employee Rodney Terry who passed away this morning while working in the plant. He will be remembered as a gentle, kind man who cared about those around him. He quickly rose through the plant as an area leader, and we are grateful for the compassion he showed in this role and his almost five years of service.

As we work to understand what happened today, including bringing in resources to help us review the operations and equipment, we feel it is in the best interest of our team to cancel production for the rest of the week. Employees will be paid for this time off.

During this time, we also have additional counseling resources available for our employees who need support.”

GE Appliances

Chunn tells News 19 that the incident is considered an industrial accident.

The incident remains under investigation at this time.

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