Michael ‘Mike’ Dickinson, McDonald’s customer, 69, crushed to death in freak accident trying to pay at drive thru at Grand Island, Nebraska location after getting pinned between payment window and car.
A 69 year old man in Nebraska has died in a freak accident after being crushed to death while trying to pay at a local McDonald’s drive-thru, Grand Island authorities stated.
Michael ‘Mike’ Dickinson, 69, suffered fatal injuries after becoming trapped between the payment window and his car at the fast food chain’s outpost in Grand Island, Tuesday morning.
Grand Island Police Division Chief Dean Elliott described the incident as a ‘100% a freak accident,’ KSNB-TV reported.
McDonald’s customer crushed to death trying to pay at drive thru in ‘freak accident’
“It appears the deceased opened the door to further reach out of the window for payment purposes,’ the official told the outlet. ‘We’re not sure if the vehicle lurched forward or what happened, but he became pinned between the door frame and the drive-thru window counter.’
Dickinson was rushed to an area hospital, but could not be saved, the Grand Island Police Department said in a statement.
A McDonald’s employee tried to help the trapped man by vaulting through the passenger side of the car, but ultimately couldn’t free Dickinson, only to be injured and also taken to hospital for treatment, Elliott told KSNB.
Dickinson, a grandfather, had his right leg amputated in September 2021, his daughter wrote in a Facebook post, noting he was fitted with a prosthetic that December and re-learned how to walk.
It’s unclear how, or why, Dickinson’s leg was removed and whether he was wearing the prosthetic and if that played any part in the 69-year-old seemingly losing his balance.
Grand Island, Nebraska 69-year-old victim remembered
He had celebrated his 32nd wedding anniversary with his wife in July.
The couple lived in Grand Island their entire life and attended the same high school, according to their Facebook profiles.
Dickinson’s mourning relatives remembered ‘his love’ on their first Christmas without him, recalling his willingness ‘to help and be there when it mattered most’ in an online post.
‘A skilled and hardworking mechanic, Michael took pride in his work and had a gift for fixing what was broken. It reflected who he was – reliable, practical, and dedicated,’ posted the family online.
‘Though his life was cut short, Michael’s love, loyalty, and kindness will live on in the hearts of his family and friends. He will be dearly missed and always remembered.’
The police dept.’s Accident Reconstruction Team continued to investigate.
