Ford Employee Found Dead in Axle Plant Bathroom

A 24-year-old male employee was found dead overnight at Ford’s Sterling Axle Plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, according to police reports. The man was discovered in a restroom stall shortly after midnight on Thursday morning. While no cause of death has been determined, the body has been transported to the medical examiners office for further investigation.

Sterling Heights police said the individual had told co-workers he wasn’t feeling well shortly before entering the bathroom. This is the second notable death at a Ford facility since December, when 41-year-old Ivan Bridgewater of Seymour, Indiana was killed at the Kentucky Truck Plant from blunt-force trauma. That incident was later ruled accidental. At the time, Ford was fined $37,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violations of established workplace safety rules. The automaker contested the fine.

The Sterling Heights incident is unlikely to face OSHA fines, as the death occurred off the factory floor. Some witnesses say they believe the 24-year-old man may have fallen prior to entering the restroom, but this remains unconfirmed.

While two curious incidents within ten months resulting in the death of a staff member seems like grounds for an automotive curse, there is nothing connecting the two deaths beyond a shared employer. Additional details should emerge following the autopsy and some police work, however.

A Ford spokesperson told the Detroit Free Press, “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and coworkers of a Ford employee who passed away after being found unresponsive in the bathroom at the Sterling Axle Plant early this morning. We are cooperating with authorities in the investigation.”

[Image: Ford Motor Co.]