The American flag outside an electric golf cart manufacturer’s facility in Evans, Georgia, flew at half-staff this week in memory of a worker there who died after getting caught in the plant’s machinery.
Around 9:40 p.m. on March 8, 21-year-old Alyssa Drinkard dropped her AirPods under a conveyor at the plant and ducked under it in an attempt to retrieve them, according to WRDW-TV.
The chain moving the conveyor caught her instead, and efforts by a co-worker to extract Drinkard from the machinery were unavailing.
She called maintenance to get the machine shut down, and then workers started disassembling it to free Drinkard.
Someone called 911, and first responders cut the frame around the conveyor to get at Drinkard. When they did, Drinkard still had a pulse, though she didn’t appear to be breathing.
They tried to save her, but she was pronounced dead at Doctors Hospital just before 6:00 a.m. Saturday, according to The Augusta Press.
The co-worker who saw it all happen told WRDW several days later that she couldn’t “stop reliving it.”
“But she’ll always remember Drinkard as someone who was always so kind, quiet and the sweetest friend,” the outlet reported.
Social media reports noted claimed that Drinkard had been “decapitated” in the incident, a claim Maj. Steve Morris of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office would neither confirm nor deny to The Augusta Press.
Would you ever work around heavy machinery?
However, as the Press noted, the presence of a pulse and the facts that lifesaving efforts were made and that Drinkard was transported to the hospital before being declared dead would seem to indicate that decapitation was not the most likely cause of death.
“Friday evening, a contract labor worker experienced a critical injury while working at our main manufacturing facility in Evans,” Club Car said in a statement cited by the Press. “First responders were immediately notified, and we thank them for their quick response to provide medical care and transportation to the hospital where the worker unfortunately later passed away.
“Our sincere condolences and thoughts are with the family, friends and all impacted by this loss,” the statement added. “We are working with authorities and the contractor in an investigation to determine the facts about what led to the incident.”
A report from the sheriff’s office obtained by the Press noted that the co-worker who attempted to help Drinkard when she was pinned beneath the conveyor was FaeZsha Smith.
“I arrived at the listed location and observed Alyssa Drinkard pinned under the conveyor at her workstation,” the report read, according to the Press. “She did not appear to be breathing. EMS and Fire arrived on the scene at the same time and began life-saving measures. They freed Alyssa by cutting the metal frame from around the conveyor and pulling her out. Once they got Alyssa out, they said she still had a pulse and transported her to Doctors Hospital for further treatment.
“Once EMS left with Alyssa, I went back inside and spoke with an employee, FaeZsha Smith, who was working with her when she was injured. Smith said Alyssa dropped her Air Pods below the conveyor, and when she got under the machine to get them, she got caught by the chain that moves the conveyor.
“Smith said due to the way Alyssa was pinned, she was not able to get her out, so she called for maintenance to come and shut the machine down. They began taking it apart once the machine was down and called 911.”
Authorities have reviewed surveillance footage of the accident and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was expected to examine Drinkard’s body to determine a precise cause of death, the Press reported.
Workers on the cart battery cell production line are routinely warned about wearing jewelry and headphones, one employee told the outlet.
