Worker killed at Battle Creek plant

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) - An employee at a Battle Creek plant that supplies control cables was found dead inside the plant Tuesday morning.

John  Barlow, 53, is described as a 25-year employee at the Hi-Lex Plant on Wayne Road.

His body was found at around 10:45 a.m.

Hi-Lex Human Resources Director Mitch Freeman told 24 Hour News 8 the victim was a forklift driver. Other employees heard a stack of pallets fall. They found Barlow when they investigated the sound.

"It appears that a male in his early 50s was crushed by a forklift while attempting to move some part containers," said a news release from Battle Creek police.

But Freeman says it's not clear exactly what happened.

Barlow was not on the forklift when he was discovered. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration was there Tuesday investigating.

According to the company's Web site, Hi-Lex has three plants in Michigan and one plant in Mexico. Its North American headquarters is in Rochester Hills, a suburb of Detroit.

The Wayne Road facility makes control cables, powersports and specialty products.

The investigation is continuing, pending autopsy results.