Richmond sanitation body, now ID'd, found in wastewater tank

RICHMOND, Ind. — The Wayne County coroner and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the death Wednesday of a Richmond sanitation employee.

Danny Caldwell died Wednesday at the William Edwin Ross Wastewater Treatment Plant at 2380 Liberty Ave., according to a news release from A.J. Sickmann, the city attorney. Caldwell was found submerged in a wastewater clarifier tank. He had notified supervisors that he was performing regular maintenance on the tank, the release said.

Emergency personnel were notified when contact could not be established with Caldwell, according to the release. Confirmation was made that Caldwell was submerged in the tank, and a recovery operation retrieved his body late Wednesday.

What exactly happened to Caldwell and how he ended up in the tank remain unknown. He was working alone, which Mayor Dave Snow said is standard procedure.

"There's been a lot of speculation," Snow told the Palladium-Item on Thursday afternoon. "The only facts known are that Danny Caldwell went up to perform regular maintenance on a control box and he lost contact. The next contact with Danny Caldwell, he was submerged in the tank. There are no eyewitnesses.

"That is the purpose of the investigation, and we need to let that take its course without speculation muddying the process."

Coroner Ron Stevens said Caldwell was being taken to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office in Dayton, Ohio, for a full autopsy and toxicology testing.

Stevens will conduct the lead investigation into the cause and manner of death, Snow said, and any evidence collected or photographs taken by Richmond Police Department at the scene will be turned over to Stevens.

Sickmann said the city fulfilled its legal requirement to contact OSHA and he understood OSHA representatives already were on site Thursday afternoon to begin their investigation.

"I want everyone looking into this to be very thorough," Snow said. "It's very important we know what happened to Danny Caldwell because his family deserves that and he deserves that."

Snow was at the scene Wednesday evening during the recovery efforts.

"This is a difficult and sad day for Danny’s family, friends and co-workers," he said in a statement. "Danny was a hard worker and a friend to many. On behalf of the city of Richmond, I would like to offer the deepest of condolences to Danny’s wife, Anita, and his family. He will be missed.”