Worker Dies in Cotton Processing Plant Accident

A 62-year-old man died after an industrial accident at a cotton processing facility Thursday morning in Slaton, TX.

According to the Slaton Police Department, emergency crews were called to the RSM Company facility regarding a fatal incident at about 9:15 a.m.

Slaton police said the worker was crushed by cotton bales and died, local TV 6 news reported.

The 62-year-old was working between two 1,500-lb stacks of cotton when a lift operator compressed the row, unaware the worker was between the stacks.

Investigators believe the squeeze-lift operator was unaware the man was working between the two stacks of cotton when he compressed the row. University Medical Center EMS was called to the facility, but efforts to save the man's life were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene, reported the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

According to the company's website, the RSM facility features a mote processing plant, a pickery for salvaging and reconditioning damaged cotton, and warehousing.

The US Occupation Safety & Health Administration will investigate the accident.