The family of a 56-year-old warehouse worker who was crushed beneath a loading ramp in Buford, Georgia, is seeking answers over his death and has said it has struggled to establish contact with his employer.
Ernest Appau died on 9 September after becoming trapped between a truck and a loading ramp at Global Industrial’s facility on Mill Center Parkway NE, according to a Gwinnett County police report.
Police were called to the warehouse at about 6.44pm after a report of a person down. A supervisor directed officers to Mr Appau, who had been found pinned beneath the ramp by a colleague.
Employees lifted the ramp and pulled him clear before attempting to provide emergency aid. Paramedics later pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators reviewed security footage and found no indication of foul play, according to an earlier police account. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office is handling the investigation, while authorities have not disclosed what caused the ramp to come down or trap Mr Appau.
Mr Appau had worked for the equipment supply company for about 23 years. His brother, Watson Agyei Dwomoh, said he was driving a lorry when he received the call informing him of the death.
Mr Dwomoh said his brother had moved to Georgia after winning an American lottery. His wife and children remain in Ghana and are trying to arrange travel to the United States for his burial.
The family has launched a fundraising appeal to help cover funeral expenses, saying the service cannot take place until relatives arrive from overseas.
“We are more than confused,” Mr Dwomoh said, adding that nobody had explained how the incident happened.
He said the family struggled to believe Mr Appau could have been involved in such an accident because he was “very, very, very careful” in his work.
“We lost a very heavy thing,” Mr Dwomoh said. “He is our right hand.”
A Global Industrial spokesperson previously expressed sympathy, saying: “Our thoughts are first and foremost with the family and on our employees. The matter is currently under investigation.”
However, Mr Dwomoh said neither the family nor its lawyer had been able to speak to company representatives about the circumstances surrounding the death.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no official findings have been released about the loading ramp or the precise sequence of events that led to Mr Appau being trapped.
