Evansville man who died at Toyota Boshoku was a father and former track star
EVANSVILLE – The man who died in a "tragic event" at the Toyota Boshoku plant in Gibson County last week was a father of four who came to the U.S. from West Africa.
That's according to the obituary for Thierno Balde, the 49-year-old Evansville resident who was killed on Aug. 7. Toyota Boshoku hasn't released any details in Balde's death. The Gibson County Sheriff's office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.
Balde is survived by his wife of 22 years, Cynthia Balde, as well as two stepchildren and a biological daughter and son. He also had four grandchildren, two sisters, and "several extended family members in Guinea, Conakry, with a host of nieces and nephews," the obituary reads.
His services were scheduled for Monday at Alexander Funeral Home-East. Memorial donations in his honor can be made to the Islamic Center of Evansville.
Balde was born in Guinea-Conakry on Oct. 6, 1973. According to Courier & Press archives, he went on to run track at Vincennes University in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2003, the Courier & Press highlighted his efforts to get back into All-American shape when Balde and some friends set up a gym in his front yard along Riverside Drive.
"I wasn't feeling that good anymore, so I had to do something about it," he says in the story. "I've got to have a goal to accomplish."
Balde served as a production worker at Toyota Boshoku. Since his death, several friends, co-workers and family members have taken to social media to praise him as a kind, generous man.
The incident that led to his death occurred sometime in the morning of Aug. 7. Around 10 a.m. that day, Gibson County Sheriff Bruce Vanoven sent a note to media outlets saying his deputies had responded to the plant to "render aid to a worker inside." Gibson County Coroner Barrett Doyle identified Balde as the victim later that afternoon.
Through a corporate statement, Rich Norris, Toyota Boshoku's vice president of corporate planning, said the company "cannot comment on the details."
"We are fully cooperating in the investigation that is underway," the statement read in part. "... We take matters like this very seriously and will thoroughly review all investigation results to ensure that this type of incident does not reoccur."
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville man who died at Toyota Boshoku was a father, ex-track star
