Just before 10:30 AM Wednesday morning, the Spartanburg County coroner, Pelham-Batesville Fire Department and Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at the BMW manufacturing plant.
According to the authorities and the 911 dispatch call, the emergency personnel was there to respond to reports of a person stuck in a piece of machinery. As of 1:30 PM this afternoon, a BMW spokesperson said there was an accidental death in the plant’s paint department and is currently under investigation by the attending deputies.
The employee is reported to be a private contractor working on BMW equipment.
The plant, which opened in 1992, remains one of the biggest landmarks in Upstate South Carolina and continues to be the only plant to exclusively manufacture BMW vehicles in the United States. The plant employs hundreds of Upstate residents who either work for BMW or work on the factory floor through staffing companies like MAU.
In South Carolina, a worker who is injured while performing their job may be eligible for reimbursement for lost wages, payment of medical bills, and payment to compensate them for the permanent effect of their injuries, or even death, by the Workers’ Compensation Act. Meaning anyone working at the BMW plant or any other factory in South Carolina can be eligible for these benefits if injured while working.