A contractor died Thursday after being pinned between a semitrailer and a loading dock at a Rivian warehouse in Normal, Illinois, according to local authorities and a statement from the company.
The Normal Fire Department responded at approximately 1:40 p.m. to the Rivian Automotive Warehouse at 301 West Kerrick Road, departmental spokesman Matt Swaney said.
Rivian operates its main manufacturing plant in Normal since mid 2021, where it produces the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, with the mid-size SUV R2 set to begin final production over the next few months.
The warehouse on Kerrick Road is separate from the company’s main production facility.
Firefighters found the man trapped with critical injuries, having been pinned for approximately 20 minutes before crews arrived.
Police reached the scene at approximately 1:44 p.m. after receiving a report of a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian.
After being freed, the man was transported by ambulance to Carle BroMenn Medical Center in critical condition.
The McLean County Coroner Kathleen Yoder said the man was pronounced dead at approximately 2:30 p.m. His identity is being withheld pending notification of his family. Police and fire officials could not definitively confirm the man’s age.
Rivian confirmed the man was a contractor working at the facility.
“Safety at our facilities is our top priority,” the company said in a statement.
“Unfortunately this afternoon, a contractor passed away after an incident at our warehouse,” the EV maker added. “Our sympathy and thoughts are with the contractor’s family and friends. We are working with the Normal Police Department on its investigation.”
The incident remains under investigation by the Normal Police Department and the McLean County Coroner’s Office, according to several local media outlets.
The company is preparing to begin production of customer units of the R2 SUV at the Normal plant, with US deliveries planned to begin by June.
US Sales
The company’s US sales continued their year-over-year decline in February, estimates published by Motor Intelligence earlier this year showed.
Rivian sold 2,700 vehicles last month, a 7.3% increase from the 2,516 units registered in January but a 34.1% drop from the 4,100 vehicles sold a year ago.
