On December 30, 2020 at approximately 7:06 am, Marion Police responded to General Motors, 2400
W. 2nd Street in reference to an industrial accident. Upon officer’s arrival Marion General Hospital
paramedics were on scene. Officers were advised that the employee, Mark McKnight, age 57 of
(Gas City) was deceased and that the Coroner had been requested to respond.
Officers spoke with Robert Ogden, Sight Director of General Motors who was familiar with the
operations that were going on inside the plant at the time of the accident. Ogden stated that employees
in that area were moving a floor to ceiling wall unit of 4×4 metal tubing welded together. The wall unit
had not yet been secured to the floor or a connecting wall beam.
As Mr. McKnight was working on an electrical conduit located near the floor to ceiling wall, a fork lift
employee accidentally backed his fork lift into the floor to ceiling wall causing it to tip over. Mr.
McKnight was unable to avoid being struck by the falling wall which ultimately caused his death.
The Coroner pronounced Mr. McKnight’s death at 7:24 am. The investigation indicates that Mr.
McKnight’s death was accidental. The Coroner is pending an autopsy at the Northeast Indiana
Forensic Center.