Man crushed by falling ramp

A Reno man was killed Wednesday morning when he was crushed by a lift gate in a prison warehouse in Carson City.

Mike Bynum, 30, an employee of Reno Forklift, was working underneath the 500- to 1,000-pound gate about 7:50 a.m. at Northern Nevada Correctional Center.

He was replacing springs with hydraulics when the gate fell, according to Howard Skolnik, assistant director of prison industries for the Nevada Department of Corrections.

Bynum and one other worker had arrived to begin the installation at 7:30 a.m., he said.

The lift gate measures about 6-by-10 feet and is used on a loading dock as a ramp for unloading trucks.

Skolnik said four minimum-security inmates heard Bynum's partner yelling for help and helped him in lifting the gate. Paramedics attempted to revive Bynum, but were too late.

The Carson City Sheriff's Department is investigating.

Sgt. Bob White said Bynum, a husband and father, had worked for Reno Forklift for about seven years.

Reno Forklift, a Sparks-based company, had no comment on the accident.

White said an autopsy is scheduled today at the Washoe County Coroners Office.

A report on the completed investigation will be turned over to the Carson City District Attorney's Office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Prison Director Jackie Crawford, who was out of the office Wednesday, expressed regret and her condolences to the victim's family, Skolnik said.