Crime & Safety

Smurfit Stone Employees, Officers, Firefighters Tried Desperately to Save Sharon Silva

The Renton Police Incident Log and witness statements reveal more details about last Thursday's fatality at the Smurfit-Stone Recycling facility in Renton, where a 25-year-old woman was killed on the job.

Workers at Smurfit-Stone Recycling tried desperately to save their co-worker trapped in a large compactor as they waited for emergency responders to arrive. 

Sharon Silva, 25, had gotten sucked into the machine, which is used to compact recyclable plastic wrap, when she tried to fix it after it jammed.

“I was on the forklift in bale storage cleaning up when I heard (a coworker) yell on the radio 'Everyone stop what you are doing and come to the baler.' I pulled over right away and jumped out (to) help,” wrote one of 13 employees who submitted witness accounts. “I seen (two people) at the door that you pull open to clear a jam. Sharon, the operator was stuck under some film. She was saying 'help me I can't breathe.' (We) were trying to push the film up to relieve the pressure so we could pull her out."

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Silva did not survive the April 7 accident at the Renton plant. 

Witness statements and the Renton Police incident log provide more detail about the rescue efforts that night.

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Police Officers Donald Myers and Christopher Greenwade were the first to arrive at the warehouse, at 701 S.W. 34th St., about four minutes after the 911 call at 9:56 p.m. Myers found Silva trapped inside a "large commercial grade compactor."

Hector Castro, a spokesman for Washington State Labor and Industries, described the machine as an "American Baler" that is used to compact recyclable plastic wrap.

"The machine had a large conveyer belt that dropped plastic wrap into a 'chute' where it was compacted down," Myers said in his report. "The 'chute’ was approximately 20 feet high. At the bottom of the 'chute' was an opened trap door that was approximately 3' x 3' big."

Silva's head was resting on the chute hinges and she appeared to be breathing when the officer arrived.

"She initially opened both eyes and then closed them. Her breathing was very shallow and she had a laceration on her right cheek where it appeared her head hit the hinges on the trap door," Myers wrote.

Officer James Fowler also helped with the incident, took photos, gathered witness statements and, later that evening, notified Silva's mother of her death.

Renton Fire and Emergency Services also were dispatched to Smurfit-Stone and helped free Silva from the compactor.

Nearly half of the 13 Smurfit-Stone employees who submitted written accounts of the evening said they witnessed all or part of the incident. Most of the handwritten reports recounted either Silva's calls for help, or a fellow employee's shout over the radio for assistance. 

"The supervisor started screaming at us to come help," wrote one employee. Another recounted the 911 call before jumping in to assist with the failed rescue effort. 

"The employees tried to pry her out but couldn't," wrote another witness.

The King County Medical Examiner found that Silva’s death was caused by “compression asphyxia” as well as being trapped by plastic debris, and ruled that it was accidental.

The Renton officers cordoned off the area that night so it would remain untouched until Washington State Labor and Industries could start its investigation the next morning. A spokesperson said it could take up to six months to complete.

Smurfit-Stone has been reluctant to release any information to Renton Patch aside from a statement of condolence to the family. In a company email obtained through an online chat forum, Smurfit-Stone CEO Patrick Moore wrote in part, "Sharon Silva, a 25-year old second-shift baler operator, was fatally injured while working on the baler. Sharon was a recent hire of the Renton plant and is survived by her mother, brother and daughter."

According to Labor and Industries, Smurfit-Stone's Renton facility has several recent health violations; however the company appears to have no record of safety violations.


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