Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Painter dies following industrial accident at UMass construction site

A Springfield man died today, just two days after suffering severe injuries while working on the construction site of the new central heating plant at the University of Massachusetts, according to the UMass News and Information office.

Rejean Chicoine, 55, of Springfield was spray painting beams on a scissors aerial lift when he became lodged between a beam and the lift, police said. He was freed only after co-workers climbed up the lift to dislodge him and then lower the lift, according to Ed Blaguszewski, Director of the News and Information Office at UMass.

UMass Police Department received the call for assistance and responded to the site of the incident at 8:19 p.m. on Monday, CPR was performed on the scene and Chicoine was transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital by the Amherst Fire Department ambulance, according to the UMPD.

According to Blaguszewski, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Massachusetts State Police were on the scene Tuesday to begin an investigation of the incident along with officials from the UMass Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

Chicoine works for Fine Painting, a subcontractor of O’G Industries of Torrington, Conn., general contractor for the $118 million central heating plant, which has been under construction since May 2006.

The Daily Collegian will be updating this story throughout the day.

Matt Belliveau can be reached at [email protected].

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