Sandown Man Dies in Tire Explosion at Sears

SALEM, NH - An employee at the Sears Auto Center in Salem has passed away due to blunt force trauma after a tire explosion earlier today.

Justin Almon, 22, of Sandown, was transported by Salem Fire and Rescue teams as just before 8 a.m. on Dec. 19, 2015, and was pronounced dead at Parkland Medical Center.

A customer from Boothbay, ME, was transported to Lawrence General Hospital and then airlifted to Boston Medical Center with a serious head injury, according to police.

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Officers and EMTs were sent to the center at just before 8 a.m. after receiving 911 calls about an explosion with injuries. When they arrived, they found Almon suffering from life threatening injuries, along with the injured customer.

(The) preliminary investigation revealed the Sears Auto worker was in the process of fixing a large truck tire on an industrial tire changer when the incident occurred,” according to Lt. Michael Kelly of the Salem Police Department.

Sears issued a statement to WMUR-TV stating that it was working closely with local authorities as they investigate this matter.

“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of our associate, and we send our deepest condolences to them,” the statement said. “We also send our thoughts and concerns to our customer who was injured in this tragic accident.”

The incident is currently being investigated by Salem Police Investigative Services Unit, as well as, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) officials.

According to online posts, Almon was the assistant store manager in the service center. On his Google Circles profile, he noted, “I am definitely a beach bum at heart but I also love the winter time. I’m pursuing a career in Automotive. Someday I want to Build a car for Mazda to put on the line of cars.”

According to The Beacon, the newspaper for the Seacoast Tech in Exeter, where he attended Automotive Technologies class, he had two Ford AAA teams qualified to compete on centerfield at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.