Chrysler employee crushed to death at Indiana plant

A 48-year-old man was crushed to death by a machine at a Chrysler LLC casting plant in Kokomo, Ind., authorities said.

The Howard County coroner said John Kelly Wright, of Logansport, died instantly Saturday morning, September 22.

Chrysler spokeswoman Michelle Tinson said the company could not comment on specifics of the death because it is being investigated.

''It's very unfortunate,'' she said. ''We express our condolences to the employee's family.''

Local authorities will work with the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration to investigate, Tinson said. The casting plant halted production for 24 hours during the investigation, she said.

Howard County Coroner Brad Bray said it appears that Wright was between two side panels of a die cast machine when he was crushed to death. An autopsy was planned to confirm the cause of death.

The Kokomo casting plant creates parts for automotive components as well as transmission and transaxle cases, according to Chrysler's Web site. The plant has 915 workers.