Individual Details

Death

A 39-year-old Dallas man was instantly killed early Thursday morning when the arm of an industrial crane slammed into high voltage lines at a construction site at Knox Lee Power Plant, located on Highway 149 south of Longview, according to a deputy of the Gregg County Sheriff's Department. Electrocuted and dead on arrival at Good Shepherd Hospital was Joe Dick Furr, 39, Dallas, the spokesman said. According to a fellow worker, Furr was employed by Dee Brown Masonry Company, of Dallas, and had been working at the construction site for about 25 days. The accident occurred at approximately 9 am., deputies said. A spokesman for the sheriff's department said the accident occurred when Furr was attempting to guide a huge demolition ball, attached to the crane, when the long arm of the crane slammed into the high voltage lines. The unidentified crane operator was not injured in the accident, deputies said. Funeral services for Furr are pending.
Longview News-Journal, Longview, Texas, October 12, 1972