Worker killed, customer injured at Sears Auto Center in Salem, N.H.

SALEM, N.H. — One person is dead and another injured after a tire explosion at the Sears Auto Center in Salem, New Hampshire.

Salem Police said the employee, 22-year-old Justin Almon, was working on the truck tire. It had been taken off the vehicle and put onto a machine. Police said Almon was mounting the tire on the rim when it exploded, giving Almon a fatal head injury. A customer also suffered a head injury and was airlifted to Boston Medical Center.

They were the only two people in the Sears Auto garage at the time; the explosion happened about 10 minutes before the auto center was scheduled to open. Other employees ran into the garage after hearing the explosion.

"They were pretty shaken up. When you work close with somebody else all day long it hits you hard," said Sgt. Chad Clark.

"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of our associate, and we send our deepest condolences to them. We also send our thoughts and concerns to our customer who was injured in this tragic accident. We are working closely with local authorities as they investigate this matter," a Sears representative told FOX25.

Salem police and OSHA are investigating the incident and are determining if it could have been prevented. In the last five years, there have been 74 OSHA inspections at Sears across the country, but none at the Rockingham location.

Cox Media Group