Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 20230 Indian Lake Access Road, SAINT CROIX, INDIANA 47576
on — Myocardial infarction (heart attack), affecting the heart.
Final narrative
An employee had a heart attack after fighting a controlled forest fire.
HospitalizedHeartTools, instruments, and equipment, unspecified
More severe injuries at United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service
An employee was working the suppression operation lines while fighting a wildfire on rugged terrain when they experienced possible heat stress and dehydration and lost consciousness.
On November 9, 2023, an employee lifted a 70-pound package of paper bags, put it in a cart, and then pushed the cart to the front of the store by the cash registers. The employee sustained a collapsed lung.
An employee was providing medical treatment to injured persons involved in a motor vehicle accident. The employee was walking up and down a low-grade embankment carrying injured persons on transport equipment such as backboards. The employee sustained chest pain, and a possible cardiac related event with an elevated heart rate and elevated blood pressure.
On June 16, 2023, an employee was elevated in a scissor lift and was removing a pipe from a structure when they began experiencing back pain. The employee sustained a ruptured abdominal aneurysm from lifting/carrying/pulling pipe.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 115310)
An employee was loading the back of his truck with buckets of oil. As he was coming down off the truck, he slipped on a surface that was wet due to rain and fell about 3.5 feet to the ground, landing on his left elbow/arm. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left humerus and required surgery.
On September 25, 2025, an employee climbed an aluminum extension ladder and was on top of the roof of a building She was walking around on the roof, inspecting and evaluating it. She was descending the ladder when the ladder slid to the right and twisted around as she hung onto it. She then fell 10-12 feet to the paved parking lot and the ladder landed on top of her. She sustained a fractured left collarbone, multiple other fractures, and had bruising to the left side of her abdomen.
An employee was riding a horse and leading several pack mules along a trail. A few mules started acting up, causing the horse to stir. The employee then fell off the horse and landed on a stiff woody protrusion that impacted her chest/rib area. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured rib and a punctured lung.
An employee was working on a tree thinning unit and was cutting a 6" diameter tree. During the back-cut when the chainsaw kicked back. The saw struck her, resulting in a 3-inch laceration on her left leg below the knee. She was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was walking down a staircase when their heel caught on a stair and they fell, resulting in hospitalization for a punctured lung and broken ribs.
An employee was standing on the outside edge of a hopper barge while watching a skid steer push ore for an excavator (with a clamshell bucket) to unload. The excavator was on a work barge. The bucket of the excavator struck the employee and caused a near-amputation of their right arm and fractures of the ulna and radius of the left arm. The right arm required surgery.
The injured employee was performing roofing work with a crew. A mop was being used to apply tar to the roof. Hot tar splashed onto the injured employee's left hand. The back of their hand was burned.