Man Dies After McCook Industrial Accident

MCCOOK, IL — A man died after an industrial accident at Progress Rail in McCook earlier this week, a case that OSHA is investigating. Matt Barr, 37, an employee of North Mankato, Minn.-based Kato Engineering, was working at Progress Rail on Tuesday morning when he was struck by a machine part, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"Our investigation could take up to six months, based on the statute of limitations. It doesn't mean it will take that long," Kathy Webb, the area OSHA director, said in an interview. "We're trying to find out the cause. Sometimes we're able to find out, sometimes we're not. We'll look to see if the employer was in compliance with OSHA regulations. If not, they get citations."

The accident happened at Progress Rail, 9301 W. 55th St., which is near La Grange village limits.

In an interview, McCook Fire Chief Joseph Myrick said his department's paramedics responded to the accident. He said the victim later died at Loyola Medical Center.

Barr started working for Kato Engineering in 2011, was laid off in 2016 and returned a year later, according to a 2017 story in the Mankato Free Press. He told the newspaper at the time that he wasn't surprised at being laid off. "It's the cycle of the business," he said.

While he was laid off, Barr did construction work. He said he was glad to be back at Kato, according to the Free Press.

"It was a good attitude adjustment about my job here because I was working construction. Physical work is no problem, but the atmosphere in construction is different with everyone yelling and swearing," he told the newspaper.

In 2017, his job at Kato was stacking rotors with laminates, the Free Press said.

Progress Rail and Kato Engineering couldn't be reached for immediate comment.