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Forest City man identified as victim in construction accident

The man who was killed in a construction accident at CJ Bio America last week has been identified by the funeral home handling the arrangements.

Shannon G. Torkelson, 41, of Forest City, died as a result of Thursday’s accident, according to an obituary released by Cataldo Schott Funeral Chapel in Forest City.

Torkelson was struck by a steel beam at the construction site west of Fort Dodge in the industrial park called Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation. The incident was reported at 5:08 p.m. Thursday.

The beam was not on top of Torkelson when rescuers arrived. He was treated at the scene for what a firefighter called “very substantial injuries” and was transported to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center.

He was an employee of Kingland Construction, according to the obituary. He was a 1995 graduate of Forest City High School. He is survived by a wife, one son and two daughters.

The funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City.

The accident that claimed his life is under investigation by the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That agency had compliance officers on the scene last Friday.

CJ Bio America produces the amino acid lysine, which is added to feed for poultry and swine, and liquid fertilizer. A $51 million expansion underway will enable the plant to make another amino acid called L-Threonine. The expansion will create 18 jobs in production and production support roles.

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