He was using a scissor lift at the time of his death, according to the Pinellas Park Police Department.

PINELLAS PARK – A Dunedin man died Thursday (Dec. 28) while working on a building renovation project, the Pinellas Park Police Department said.

Richard Louis Collett, 27, of Dunedin, died at the scene. Mr. Collett, was an electrician apprentice, and an employee of Sunrise Electric of Pinellas, which was sub-contracted to Down Under Construction, which was performing renovation on an abandoned building.

Police said his death appears to be accidental. The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy.

Police were called to 6651 102nd Ave N about 10:10 a.m.after receiving a report about Mr. Collett’s death.

Mr. Collett had been operating a 14-foot scissor lift as part of building renovation project at this location. Before his death, he had been standing on top of the scissor lift using a joystick type controller to move the motorized scissor lift out of the building. While trying to leave the building through a double door, Mr. Collett trapped his head between the top of the lift rail and the
entrance door frame which caused severe trauma to his head.

Mr. Collett was found injured and unresponsive by a co-worker. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Investigators from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration were notified. They are conducting their own investigation, a normal procedure in work-related deaths.

Photo of scissor life courtesy of the Pinellas Park Police Department.

Pinellas Park Police | Accidental Death | Richard Louis Collett | Deaths | Tampabay News

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