Employee killed in accident at Golden Valley Menards

An accident at a home improvement store in a Minneapolis suburb has killed an employee.

According to authorities, a man operating a forklift in the lumberyard of Menards in Golden Valley died when a large pallet of wood tumbled onto his machine Thursday.

Relatives identified the victim as 19-year-old James Stanback.

A witness who lives near Menards says dozens of police squad cars responded to the scene when a small crowd of people became upset that the store had not closed immediately following the fatal accident.

“As a human being, when another human being dies the respectful thing to do is mourn that loss and to close the store down,” said Rachel Elizabeth White. “There’s no reason they should’ve forced his co-workers to continue working knowing that he was dead in the back.”

Later, a sign was posted outside the store that said it would be closed until noon Friday out of respect for the employee who died, WCCO-TV reported.

The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified of the accident.

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