An employee at Stellantis’ Dundee Engine Plant has died in a workplace accident, according to the company.
The employee was a 62-year-old Detroit man, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies arrived at the plant on Ann Arbor Road about 1:25 a.m. Monday and found the man was “seriously injured by a machine while working on the assembly line.”
The man, whose name was not released, was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor and later pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office, which directed inquiries to the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office. A person who answered the phone told the Free Press to check back Tuesday.
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating, according to Mike Krafcik, an agency spokesman, who provided a statement:
“MIOSHA has initiated an investigation into the incident that occurred at the employer’s Dundee facility on April 7, 2025. MIOSHA cannot provide information on an open investigation. These types of investigations typically take several weeks or months to complete.”
Factory was not at full staffing during retooling
Stellantis also released a statement, noting that it’s working with authorities on the investigation.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends and coworkers of a Dundee Engine Plant employee who was involved in a fatal workplace accident this morning. The company is currently working with local authorities to investigate the incident. Out of respect for the family, we are not confirming the identity of the employee at this time. Counseling services will be available for Dundee Engine Plant employees,” according to the statement, which was provided by spokeswoman Jodi Tinson.
The plant is being retooled and only a small number of employees were on-site at the time, according to Tinson. Production is currently slated to restart this year.
In September, Stellantis announced a $73 million investment at Dundee Engine for retooling to assemble, weld and test battery trays for the STLA Frame architecture and to machine front and rear beams for the STLA Large architecture.
Second Stellantis fatality in region within a year
Those components are to be built “alongside the GME-T4 EVO, launching later this year, and the new 1.6-liter, I-4 turbocharged engine with direct fuel injection and flexibility for hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) applications that will launch in 2025,” according to a release. GME stands for Global Medium Engine.
Chris Sharpe, vice president of UAW Local 723 in Monroe, said Monday morning it was premature to provide much information, but he offered “thoughts and prayers for everyone affected.” He noted that local President Mike Miller is working with authorities.
The UAW’s national headquarters also provided a statement:
“The UAW is extremely saddened by the loss of a fellow member of our union family at Dundee Engine last night. An investigation into this incident is now underway. We will share more once we understand what happened, but for now we ask everyone to keep our member’s family in their hearts and prayers.”
This is the second workplace death in less than a year at a Stellantis plant in the region. Antonio Gaston, 53, was killed in August when he became caught under a vehicle moving on the Jeep Gladiator assembly line at the Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This is a developing story.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Stellantis employee killed at Dundee Engine Plant hurt by machine, sheriff’s office says
Reporting by Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
