Worker Killed by Falling Rubber Pallet at Anderson County Warehouse; OSHA Investigating

Correction (August 26, 2026): An earlier version of this story dated the incident June 2, 2026, which was the publication date of the report it was drawn from rather than the date of the events described; dispatchers were called at about 1:45 p.m. on Monday, June 1, 2026. That version also said Lamattina was trapped between a pallet and a wall and attributed that description to the Anderson County Coroner's Office. The description came from WVVA, citing officials; the coroner's office said materials on a forklift fell and pinned him underneath a pallet. Two biographical details have been re-attributed as well: the coroner's office described his volunteer firefighting and military service, while it was his family who described him as a father who leaves behind five children.

A worker was killed at Industrial Warehouse Services in Anderson County, South Carolina, on Monday afternoon when materials on a forklift fell and pinned him underneath a pallet, the Anderson County Coroner's Office said.

The coroner's office identified the worker as Anthony Mark Lamattina III, 57. Dispatchers were called at about 1:45 p.m. on Monday, June 1, 2026, while Lamattina was helping unload a truck with a forklift operator. The coroner ruled the cause of death traumatic asphyxiation and called the death accidental. WVVA, citing officials, described a pallet of rubber tipping over and trapping him between the pallet and a wall. This report follows the coroner's account, as the primary authority on the cause of death.

What investigators have said

The Anderson County Coroner's Office, the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating. No fault findings have been issued; the investigation is open.

411 Press will update this story as the OSHA file develops. OSHA has six months from the date of an inspection opening to issue citations in a fatality investigation.

The hazard pattern

Falling-load and struck-by hazards are among the most common causes of warehouse fatalities tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. OSHA's materials-handling standards require that loads be stable before being moved or unloaded, that operators be trained on load limits and stacking, and that workers on foot be kept clear of suspended or in-motion loads.

Whether any of those standards were implicated in Monday's incident is a question for the OSHA inspection, which has not yet produced findings.

About the worker

The Anderson County Coroner's Office said Lamattina was a volunteer firefighter with the Double Springs Fire Department and had previously served in the military. His family described him as a loving husband and a father who leaves behind five children, WVVA reported.