St. Michael Man's Death After Worksite Injury Under Investigation

ST. MICHAEL, MN — State officials are investigating a St. Michael man’s death after he was mortally injured on the job in downtown Stillwater, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed to Patch on Wednesday.

Terry Westemeier died March 5 — his 55th birthday — several days after he was injured at a construction site, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported, citing police.

Westemeier was sucked into a high-powered vacuum hose March 2 on the site of the former Chestnut Building, which is due to become a $24.5 million luxury apartment complex, according to the report.

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Westemeier was the owner of St. Michael-based PIC Hydro-Vac, which he launched in 2020, Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports.

Minnesota OSHA officials launched an investigation after they were notified March 7 of Westemeier’s on-the-job death, according to James Honerman, communications director for the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, which runs the state’s OSHA office.

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Honerman told Patch there is not a “set timeframe” for the investigation to be completed. Officials will investigate to “determine the cause of such accidents and whether existing OSHA standards were violated to help avoid a recurrence of similar accidents,” Honerman said.

Westemeier, who served for four years in the U.S. Navy, is survived by his wife, four children and two grandchildren, according to his obituary. A celebration of Westemeier's life was held March 13 at the Cremation Society of Minnesota in Brooklyn Park.

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