Accident victim was Norfolk dock foreman

NORFOLK

A dock foreman killed three days before Christmas at Norfolk International Terminals died when a machine used to move shipping containers struck a 105-foot light pole that fell on and crushed his car, a preliminary investigation shows.

David B. Weiland, 43, a Pennsylvania native and Navy veteran living in Virginia Beach, died nine days after becoming engaged to his longtime girlfriend, said his sister, Lisa Lotz.

Virginia Port Authority police and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are conducting separate investigations, which haven't been completed, Joe Harris, a port authority spokesman, said Monday.

The pole fell not long after Weiland began his 1 p.m. shift on Dec. 22, said Lotz, one of his two sisters and four brothers. He worked out of his 1998 Honda Civic at the terminal, doing paperwork in between directing the placement of container deliveries, she said.

Other employees used a forklift to remove the pole. A worker and VPA police attempted first aid, but Norfolk Fire-Rescue responders pronounced him dead, according to a preliminary investigation.

"This is such a terrible thing to happen, such a freaky thing," Lotz said. "He loved his job down there. He just loved it."

Weiland also loved riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, often in charity events, and rooting for his near-hometown Pittsburgh Steelers, she said. He served aboard the cruiser Normandy in the Gulf War and previously co-owned some local taverns.

"He was a good person," she said. "He was the best."

Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com