Father Gives Heart in Death

Jeffrey Mills was the kind of man who didn’t mind going out of his way to help out. He drove more than 2,000 miles monthly just to keep in touch with his kids.

And although Mills died from injuries sustained from a 14-foot fall at the Classic Chevrolet warehouse where he worked, he will continue to help people who desperately need it. Mills’ heart went to a child at a local children’s hospital. Generous in death, he donated 50 of his organs for others.

“He loved children,” said his mother-in-law, Eva Hannawi. “He was a good father, and now 50 people will be able to use his organs. It’s a legacy you can’t beat.”

Mills was working on an elevated platform among the shelves of the warehouse when he fell. He was not wearing a safety strap or other fall protection, and was taking parts off high shelves when he fell.

This tragedy could have been prevented if the victim had been wearing a safety strap or fall protection harness. Do you wear your fall protection? Every time? Even when “I’ll only be a minute?” Because a fall to the ground takes considerably less than a minute.

Source: Grand Rapids Press, Michigan, November 12, 2006