By Signe K. Skinion

The family of a construction worker killed in an accident on SIUC’s campus Wednesday said he was a family man who had lived a very full life.

Donald Swenney, 45, of Metropolis, died after being struck in the head and chest by a cable weight while working at the steam plant construction site. Cathy Swenney, Donald’s sister-in-law, said he had been a construction worker for 25 years and worked at various construction sites across Southern Illinois.

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He belonged to the Boilmakers union local 363 in Belleville, Cathy Swenney said. That song, I’ve Been All Around,’ well, that was Donald.

At the age of 18, Donald Swenney served in the Navy for four years as a naval recruiter, and served in the Vietnam Conflict. But the pride of his life was his family, Cathy Swenney said.

He was a good, moral person. He was a good man, husband, father and grandfather, Cathy Swenney said. He really loved to fish. In fact, he was planning on going fishing this weekend. But he loved his grandson more that was all he could talk about. He couldn’t wait for Matthew to grow up so he could take him fishing.

Donald Swenney is survived by his father, Carl C. Swenney, three brothers, his wife, his daughter and his grandson.

Peggy Zweber, area director for Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said the situation is currently listed as an accident, but there is an investigation underway to see if the accident could have been prevented.

Our investigation is to find out why the accident happened and if there were any preventable hazards, Zweber said. If we find any violations of safety or our standards, there might be citations issued.

A citation is a legal document that details any corrective actions toward the company and any monetary penalty assessed against the company, Zweber said.

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Zweber said OSHA has six months to investigate the accident, but the investigation should be done sooner.