Crime & Safety

Update: Union City Man Crushed By Backing Big Rig

Chengbin Xiao, 56, was killed by a big rig that was backing onto a loading dock at a textiles warehouse in Hayward where he worked.

Updated: 8:29 p.m.

By Bay City News Service

A man was killed this morning when he was crushed by a tractor-trailer backing into a loading dock at a Hayward warehouse, police and state occupational health officials said.

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The man, identified by the Alameda County coroner's bureau as Chengbin Xiao, 56, of Union City, was a worker at Keeco LLC., which has a distribution center at 30736 Wiegman Road, Hayward police said.

Emergency personnel were called at 9:10 a.m. when the worker was struck by a tractor-trailer.

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The trailer was backing up into a dock at the warehouse when the victim attempted to gain the driver's attention to tell him that he was backing into the wrong trailer bay, police said.

The victim was apparently leaning outside the warehouse when he was struck, police said.

The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the fatal accident.

Cal/OSHA spokesman Peter Melton said the victim's head was crushed between the dock and the trailer. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Melton said the company decided to send all workers home for the day after the morning's fatality.

He said Cal/OSHA has not shut the business down or prevented operations.

No other incidents have been reported at the business in the past five years, according to Melton.

The agency has six-months to investigate the accident.

According to the Keeco website, the company imports products from China including table linens, quilts, textiles, pillow cases, duvet covers and other similar items.

The company headquarters are at the Hayward facility and showrooms are located in New York and Bentonville, Ark.

Note: An earlier version of this story contained a misspelling of Xiao's name.

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