Duty of Care

On Monday morning, October 19, 2026, a man died after he became trapped in an earthmoving machine he was working on at a commercial worksite at the end of Skid Steer Drive, just off Colorado 402 near Loveland, Colorado, according to Loveland Fire Rescue Authority Battalion Chief Eric Klaas as reported by the Loveland Reporter-Herald and 1310 KFKA.

Klaas said a failure in the machine left the man trapped inside it, and that he may have been taking the machine apart for parts. The man was the only person at the site for more than an hour until a coworker found him unresponsive around 9 a.m. and called for help. Firefighters used a chain and pulley system to get him out; he had already been pronounced dead. The sheriff’s office found no foul play. The Larimer County Coroner’s Office will release his name later, and officials did not identify the company he worked for.

Taking heavy equipment apart can release stored energy: raised parts, loaded hydraulics, springs, and weight that shifts as pieces come off. Before anyone works in or under a machine, block or crib anything that can drop or move and relieve stored energy. Avoid working alone on this kind of job, and if it can’t be avoided, set a check-in time so someone notices quickly when a person stops answering.

• Loveland Reporter-Herald
• 1310 KFKA