Family of man killed in accident wants answers

ROCK HILL, S.C. — A Chester County man was crushed to death at his job last Saturday, and his family is seeking answers.

Isiah McCrorey, 51, was a crane operator at Palmetto Recycling in Rock Hill.

"He knew those cranes," said his daughter Nydia Wherry.  "He’d been working with cranes and working construction for over twenty two years, so I know he knew what he was doing, and I know he knew it well."

McCrorey had worked at Palmetto Recycling for more than two years.

According to Rock Hill police, he was running a crane on Saturday when he locked it in place and got out for a minute to move something out of the way.  At that point, a one-ton storage container, suspended from the crane above his head, somehow slipped.

Three co-workers were there. They helped pull him out from under the container and called 911.

"I just thought he'd always be there," Wherry said.  "I just thought, ‘It couldn't be my daddy.’"

Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident to find out what happened, and whether or not Palmetto Recycling could have prevented it.

Channel 9 spoke to two managers at the company Friday afternoon.

They said with only a dozen employees, they're all like family.  The workers there often eat together and help each other.

It was too difficult emotionally for any of them to talk on camera; however, the managers did release a statement which read, “The employees and management at Palmetto are a very close-knit family.  Our people are still dealing with the loss, and with respect to the family and friends of our valued employee we will be closed Saturday to mourn our loss with the family."

Wherry said her family isn't pointing any fingers or placing blame.  However they have hired an attorney to look into the incident.

She called her father a hard-working and caring man.

"He wasn't the type that always went around 'I love you, I love you,' but the things he did he showed us he loved us," she said.

McCrorey also leaves behind a wife of 28 years, as well as other children and grandchildren.

WSOC