A 21-year-old worker at a Georgia golf cart company plant died after her arm got pulled by a conveyor belt as she reached for one of her AirPods, according to authorities and reports.
Alyssa Drinkard got pinned under a machine after she got caught by the belt chain last Friday, according to an incident report by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and reported on by WSB-TV.
A co-worker reportedly said Drinkard, a contracted line worker, became trapped after she tried to reach for her AirPod earbud that fell under the conveyor belt.
Maintenance quickly shut down the machine and took it apart, though first responders had to cut through a metal frame to get her out, the incident report states.
Drinkard still had a pulse as she was rushed to a nearby hospital, but died the next morning due to her injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
The plant is used by Club Car, which makes golf carts and other commercial utility vehicles.
The company said in a statement Drinkard was a contract labor worker who was working at its main manufacturing facility in Evans, a suburb of Augusta.
“Our sincere condolences and thoughts are with the family, friends and all impacted by this loss,” Club Car stated, per WSB-TV. “We are working with authorities and the contractor in an investigation to determine the facts about what led to the incident.”
Her co-worker, Fae’Zsha Smith, told NBC News when Drinkard first dropped the earbud under the belt, Smith told her she could get it for her once it was safe to do so, but Drinkard replied she would just get new ones.
Then Smith said only moments later she saw the machine trap her colleague’s arm that became bent and began bleeding profusely.
“I’m kind of traumatized from seeing her that way,” Smith told the outlet.
She remembered Drinkard as someone who was “always so sweet.”
“She always had a smile on her face,” Smith said.
