Sheet metal falls on, kills 24-year-old employee in Warren

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A young man was killed after sheet metal fell on him as he worked at a manufacturing facility in Warren.

Warren fire officials are labeling the incident, which took place Friday afternoon at DPR Manufacturing, as an "industrial accident." 

The victim, 24-year-old Matthew McCoy of Warren, "was moving sheet metal with the use of a cart. While moving the sheet metal, the cart caught an uneven edge of a walking-working surface and tipped over onto" him, according to a report from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA).

McCoy worked at the facility for roughly four years, his sister, Jami Reiterman told FOX 2. The siblings lived together, and Reiterman played a significant role in raising her younger brother. 

"He was kind. Always kind. He would always walk through the door and ask me how my day was," she said. "He was the only one that ever did that."

Matthew McCoy. (Provided by Jami Reiterman)

He is described as an extremely generous person who always put family first.

"If people needed money, he was always helping them out. He was just the greatest person in the world, really," Reiterman said. "He loved video games and drawing. He was always drawing pictures. He still drew. He would come home from work and just draw for hours and just watch TV."

McCoy's loved ones said he really enjoys his job at DPR Manufacturing – a family-owned and operated business that specializes in steel, stainless steel, and aluminum products, according to the company's website.

"He was a machinist, so he ran certain machines... He did a lot of painting of the parts," Reiterman said. "He loved his job. He really did. He would come home and talk about all the cool stuff he got to work on (like) props for the Barbie movie premiere, and he was always excited about his job."

Reiterman's best friend, Tara Bachynski, took it upon herself to create a GoFundMe to assist with burial services. 

The fundraiser can be found here.

"I have a little brother and I could never, never imagine that. So for (Reiterman) to have to deal with this… Not only that, she has other things that she has going on in her life. I don't know how she's not on the ground. People have their own demons that they're fighting every day that nobody know about," Bachynski said.

Editor's note: MIOSHA gave new details on how the accident took place; the story has been updated to reflect that.