Cargo worker killed at Newark airport

A cargo worker at Newark Liberty International Airport was killed early yesterday when equipment used to support the tail section of a plane fell on him outside Terminal B, authorities said.

Timothy Gallagher of Jersey City, an employee of Worldwide Flight Services, was towing a huge metal tail stand for an Eva Airlines Boeing 747 when it toppled on him at about 12:25 a.m., causing severe head and torso injuries, according to Pasquale DiFulco, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The equipment weighs about 750 pounds and is 161/2-feet high by more than 71/2-feet wide. It is used to stabilize the rear of a plane while cargo is loaded and unloaded.

Gallagher, said to be about 40 years old, was taken to Newark Beth Israel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:22 a.m., DiFulco said.

DiFulco said an investigation is ongoing by Port Authority Police and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to determine why the tail stand fell.

The incident occurred in the ramp area by Terminal B's Gates 63 and 65, but did not impact flight operations, DiFulco said.

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