While an unidentified man was using an auger transporter (?) a South SF asphalt plant Graniterock on Wednesday, he somehow managed to get caught up in the presumably tricky machinery, and die. At about 7:32 p.m., firefighters responded to the plant at 1321 Lowrie Avenue. According to Battalion Chief Tom Azzopardi (via ), "[s]omehow the machine started up and he was trapped in it."

The man, it seems, died before the firefighters arrived on the scene. The cause of his death is currently under investigation. Yikes.

Update: According to the Gate, yesterday's accidental death of worker Tony Ponce from Hayward was due to a "wrong button [being] hit":

The workers were trying to repair a bolt that had sheared off an auger on a transfer conveyor ... [o]ne of the employees cut the power to the conveyor. When the workers realized the auger needed to be powered off as well, or switched to "lock-out," the employee accidentally turned the second machine on.

The plant had gone 19 years without an accident.

Bay City News