MAXTON, N.C. -- One man died and another was hurt when a trash container fell off a forklift at a soup plant in Robeson County.

  • Victim identified as Alex Radford.
  • Another employee, James Patterson, was injured.
  • This is the first death at the plant, which opened in 1979.

The Robeson County Sheriff's Office said 59-year-old Alex Radford of Laurinburg died late Sunday morning when the container fell on him at the Campbell Soup Company plant in Maxton.

James Patterson of Maxton was hurt when he tried to help Radford and became pinned under the trash bin.

Patterson was taken to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, South Carolina, for treatment.

Dolores Quesenberry with the North Carolina Department of Labor said the agency is working to determine whether any occupational safety and health standards were violated. 

Campbell Soup said it's the first death at the plant since it opened in 1979.

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