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“Jared did everything right” [The Pump Handle]
Those were the first words out of the mouth of the Southwest Airlines’ official when describing the incident on January 27, 2012 at Dulles International Airport that claimed the life of 25 year-old employee Jared Patrick Dodson. The five-year employee was driving a luggage cart when he was fatally struck by a three-story people mover used to transfer passengers across the airport tarmac.
Scott Halfmann vice president for safety and security said young Mr. Dodson was following all procedures correctly. He was in the proper travel lane. He stopped at all designated intersections. He followed the correct traffic pattern and at an appropriate speed. The trouble was, an airplane was parked in a non-standard area. This led the air traffic-controlled people mover to use a non-standard travelway. The result: an individual fatally injured at work.
Southwest Airlines’ Halfmann, along with Caroline Llewellyn and John Andrus, shared this story with a small group of individuals who know first-hand the pain and anguish of workplace fatalities. Families representing United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities (USMWF) met with the Southwest officials earlier this week during a trip to Dallas, and told of their own experiences loving someone who went to work one day but never came home. The shocking difference for these families was hearing those first words from Mr. Halfmann’s mouth: “Jared did everything right.”
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