Washington identifies worker killed in rollover accident

Published 6:36 pm Friday, July 16, 2021

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The City of Washington Public Works employee who was involved in a fatal rollover accident that happened while he was mowing a ditch bank along a drainage canal on Tuesday has been identified.

Redden Woolard, 61, died in the accident. City Manager Jonathan Russell said Woolard was “very well-liked.”

“It is with a heavy heart that I am sending you this email to inform you that our City of Washington Team has suffered a tragic loss,” Russell said an email Wednesday morning, before the employee’s identity was revealed. “A public works staff member was involved in a rollover accident while mowing a ditch bank yesterday that resulted in a fatality. This comes as a shock to the organization and the community. An investigation is currently being conducted by OSHA and the City of Washington. We will provide more information as we are able to. Please keep the employee’s family in your thoughts and prayers.”

Woolard was mowing a ditch along a drainage canal located behind Pizza Inn and Econo Lodge on Carolina Avenue. The tractor rolled over and killed the driver.

In the days following the accident, a small memorial has been set up near where the accident happened.