Vermont State Police say a 58-year-old man from Fairfax died following a workplace accident at the Casella Waste Systems landfill in Coventry on July 9, 2026. The incident occurred around 9:40 a.m. when Newport EMS responded to reports of an unconscious individual.
According to police reports, Thomas Feerick was operating an aerial lift to remove fencing when the lift tipped over down a small embankment. Feerick was not harnessed at the time and was ejected from the platform as it fell. Despite immediate assistance from nearby contractors and subsequent transport to North Country Hospital, life-saving efforts were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead later that morning.
An investigation by the Vermont State Police indicated that the incident was accidental and not suspicious in nature. Feerick’s body has been sent to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of death. No further details are available at this time.
Source: Vermont State Police
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