Ms Drinkard dropped the AirPod below the belt while at Club Car plant.
A woman from Georgia, United States, died after she got caught in a chain that moved the conveyor belt while looking for her AirPods, as per a report in NBC News. A witness informed officers that line worker Alyssa Drinkard, 21, dropped the AirPod below the belt while working a shift at a Club Car plant at approximately 9:45 pm on March 8, according to an incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
The witness stated in the report that the woman got entangled in the chain that moved the conveyor as she attempted to retrieve the earbud from below the machine. The witness, named coworker Fae'Zsha Smith, claimed that she "was not able to get her out, so she called for maintenance to come and shut the machine down" because of the way Ms Drinkard was stuck. After the machine shut down, they started disassembling it and dialled 911, according to the report.
The emergency personnel got Ms Drinkad out by "cutting the metal frame from around the conveyor and pulling her out." The 21-year-old had a pulse when she was removed from the machine. Life-saving measures were performed on her before she was sent to a hospital and later died.
The company, in a statement to The Augusta Press, confirmed the death of the woman in its primary manufacturing facility in Evans. "First responders were immediately notified, and we thank them for their quick response to provide medical care and transportation to the hospital where the worker unfortunately later passed away. Our sincere condolences and thoughts are with the family, friends and all impacted by this loss. We are working with authorities and the contractor in an investigation to determine the facts about what led to the incident," they added.
Ms Smith said that she was "traumatised" to see her colleague in that position. She recalled the moment when Ms Drinkard's earbud fell under the belt. Ms Smith told the 21-year-old that she would get it for her once it was safe to do so. "She said, 'It's OK, I'll just get new ones,'" Ms Smith said.
She then added that within seconds, she noticed a horrifying scene with Ms Drinkard's arm being caught in the machine. She said that her arm was bent and there was a lot of blood after the woman tried to reach for the AirPods.
Ms Drinkard was a quiet but well-liked line worker who had been at the company for roughly a year, according to Ms Smith. "When she did come out, it was always laughs. She was always so sweet. She has always had a smile on her face," she said.