LECANTO, Fla. (WCJB) – Friends of former Dunnellon youth football coach Chuck Thomas say he will be missed, and Wednesday night they put their money where their hearts were.
Thomas died in a workplace accident on Saturday.
“When you think of a good guy, you think of Chuck. Chuck and death just didn’t sit together. It was a surprise,” said Nickey Jamerson,” Dunnellon Tigers coach.
Thomas was a beloved coach with the Dunnellon Tigers Youth Athletics for seven years.
“I’m sad that he died and passed away… people go man, people go,” said 11-year-old Ah’Kai Washington.
Washington plays offensive line for the Tigers, one of the teams Thomas coached.
“He is an amazing coach, Coach Chuck was just an amazing coach. Long live Coach Chuck.”
Washington and dozens of others dined at Texas Roadhouse in Lecanto to give back to Coach Chuck’s family. Marketing Service Manager Diana Costa helped organize the fundraiser, and said Thomas coached her twin sons.
“He’s a big jokester. He makes you laugh, he is all about the kids. He coached for so long,” Costa said.
Related: Organs of youth football coach, father of 5 donated after crane accident
A Dunnellon Tiger’s helmet and jersey now hang in the restaurant, memorializing Thomas.
“He’s a friend, father, coach, he is everything. He’s always been in it for the kids,” said Ramon Tappin, Dunnellon Tigers Youth Athletics Commissioner.
While Tappin and many others are still processing their grief, spirits are still high, like Chuck’s contagious jokes.
“In the football world, we are one big family,” Tappin said. “We are trying to do all we can to help the family right now, but it has been tough on everyone.”
Washington said the Tigers will still be a force to be reckoned with on the field.
“He’s watching over us, Go Tigers,” Washington said.
OSHA officials tell TV20 they are investigating how Thomas died while working on a crane for Conrad Tree Services. We have contacted the company several times for comment, but have not heard back.
OSHA officials said Conrad Tree Service committed three violations in 2014 when a worker fell from a bucket truck and died and was fined $15,215.
The violations included a safety hazard when the lift control panel was partially dismantled, and the safety rope was rotted and torn. The report said the rope broke and threw the worker from the bucket.
Another violation stated the company had previously been written up for not having its employees wear safety belts or fall protection.
The OSHA report said the worker killed in 2014 was not wearing fall protection or a safety harness in the bucket truck. The investigation into Thomas’ death is still ongoing.
A 2011 OSHA investigation into Conrad Tree Service operating as Flyway Access, LLC, found the company at fault for four violations, three listed as “serious” and fined the company $3,600. A description of events was not provided in the report.
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