Man found crushed to death at Lexington County plant, coroner says
A Midlands man was killed Thursday when he was crushed by machinery at a manufacturing plant in Lexington.
Mark S. Lepkowski, a 57-year-old Pelion resident, was identified as the employee who died from the incident at the Michelin Plant, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said Saturday night.
Lepkowski was found pinned between machinery by co-workers inside the tire-manufacturing facility at 2420 Two Notch Road, near Exit 51 on Interstate 20, the coroner’s office said in a news release. He was taken to an area hospital where he later died, the release said.
Fisher said an autopsy was performed Friday, and compressional asphyxia was listed as the preliminary cause of death.
Along with the coroner’s office, Lepkowski’s death is being investigated by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
No other injuries were reported.
Michelin released a statement that said Lepkowski worked at the company’s Lexington plant for many years, the Lexington County Chronicle reported.
In October 2021, Michelin said the Lexington plant had more than 1,470 employees. It opened in 1981 and has produced more than 240 million tires, according to Michelin.
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This story was originally published April 16, 2023 at 10:33 AM.
