A technician at a Mobil gas station in Warwick, MA, was killed recently when the car he was repairing slipped off the lift. The car had not been properly secured before being hoisted on the lift.

Below is the article as it appeared on The Providence Journal website.

Warwick mechanic killed in garage accident identified

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, May 21, 2010
By C. Eugene Emery JR. and Tatiana Pina

WARWICK — Roger S. Khoury, a local resident, has been identified by the police and family members as the mechanic killed at a Mobil gas station at Post and Airport roads when the car he was working beneath slipped off a hydraulic lift Wednesday afternoon.

Detective Capt. Sean Collins said the car had not been secured properly on the lift and called the incident an accident.

The case is under investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Patrick Griffin, area director, said one of the eight inspectors in the Providence office was at the scene Wednesday. The agency has six months to make inspections, conduct interviews and come to its conclusions, but such cases are often resolved in about six weeks, he said.

Khoury’s family, interviewed at his home Thursday afternoon, said they have received very little information about the accident.

Khoury, 48, of 1 Smith Court, was working underneath the front of the car, which was about five feet off the ground. Another man, Leonard McKenney, was working on a tire on the left side of the car.

The car started to seesaw on the lift and began to slip, Collins said. McKenney yelled to Khoury but the car fell on him, Collins said.

Rescue workers were called to the garage at 1776 Post Rd. at 1:19 p.m. Wednesday. Khoury was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Khoury was born in Beruit, Lebanon, and came to the United States 30 years ago, where he received training as a mechanic, according to his wife, Joumana.

The two grew up in the same neighborhood in Lebanon and he brought her to the United States. They were married 13 years ago and have four children. He began working at the Mobil station about six months ago.

Joumana said he liked to work in the garden and was devoted to his children, taking them to their baseball and softball games.

To read this article on The Providence Journal website, visit http://www.projo.com/ri/warwick/content/MECHANIC_DEATH_05-21-10_EPIIR93_v14.d37150f.html.