Cause of death released for Danville Goodyear employee

(Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

DANVILLE (WSLS 10) - The Medical Examiner's Office in Roanoke has released the cause of death for the man who died earlier this week at the Goodyear plant in Danville.

He died as a result of drowning and thermal injuries. Greg Cooper died while working at the plant Tuesday morning and is the second person to die on the job in two weeks.

Recommended Videos



The Goodyear plant in Danville opened on Friday for the first time after the death. As the investigation into what happened continues, United Steelworkers, the union that represents the workers at the plant, wants some answers.

USW Director of Health, Safety & Environment Michael Wright said it is standard for them to assist the plant and OSHA in the investigation.

Wright said given that three people have died there in the last eight months, union representatives will be extra thorough with their investigation and plan to talk with representatives from the plant and Goodyear.

"When we understand the root causes, we would talk to the company through a negotiating process and say 'these are things that need to be addressed' and we would hopefully work with them to do that," said Wright.

The plant voluntarily closed on Tuesday after Cooper's death in order to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.

Goodyear says that at the start of each shift, plant associates participated in a two-hour safety meeting where they were given the opportunity to ask questions and share any comments they may have.

Counselors will also continue to be provided on-site throughout the week, according to Goodyear.