Posted on 08/07/24
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 7, 2024 - After a sanitation worker in Baltimore City died from overheating while on the job, Gov. Wes Moore launched a state investigation and now, he says he’s demanding answers about what happened.
Ronald Silver II, died Friday following a heatstroke while picking up trash in Baltimore City. An eyewitness, Gabrielle Avendano, told FOX45 News that Silver banged on her door begging for help before he collapsed.
"I figured it was a heat thing just because of how hot it was [on Friday],” Avendano said. “I ran to the kitchen and got a Stanley worth of water and brought it out and was like do you need help. I saw him fall.”
Avendano said she called 911 and administered CPR when he stopped breathing on her doorstep.
Monday, Gov. Moore confirmed to FOX45 News that the state launched an investigation into Silver’s death. Tuesday, FOX45 News questioned Gov. Moore in person about the status of the investigation and whether he had confidence Baltimore City’s leadership could run a department that has been plagued with problems, before Silver’s death.
“I called for a full investigation because I want answers. We have people, our state employees and public servants who are choosing to take on really difficult tasks,” Gov. Moore said Tuesday. “I want them to know that their safety is going to be the highest priority of us.”
Gov. Moore said he plans to do “everything that we can” to ensure public servants across Maryland are supported and equipped with the tools and resources necessary to do their jobs safely.
“These are the people who are doing the basic work to make sure our streets are cleaned, making sure that we have trash and recycling picked up,” Gov. Moore added.
The state investigation is being conducted by the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health program within the Labor and Industry Division of the Maryland Department of Labor.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to FOX45 News early Monday afternoon that their office performed a postmortem examination on Silver soon after his passing, determining the cause of death as hyperthermia and the manner in which he died was accidental.
According to the National Institutes of Health’swebsite, hyperthermia is a serious health risk that happens when an abnormally high body temperature is caused by “a failure of the heat-regulated mechanisms of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment.”
“Heat stroke is a life-threatening form of hyperthermia,” NIH reports. “It occurs when the body is overwhelmed by heat and unable to control its temperature.”
Tuesday morning, members of the Baltimore City Council and union leaders called for improved safety measures and called for investigative hearings Tuesday in response to Silver’s death last week.