Georgia Woman Loses Her Life Trying to Get Dropped AirPod

A Georgia factory worker was killed in a freak accident after she dropped an AirPod under a conveyor at a plant in an Augusta suburb, authorities say. Alyssa Drinkard, 21, became caught in the chain that moves the machinery while trying to retrieve the earbud, according to a sheriff's office incident report. The report from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office said fellow worker Fae'Zsha Smith "was not able to get her out, so she called for maintenance to come and shut the machine down. They began taking it apart once the machine was down and called 911."

Drinkard was pronounced dead at a hospital early Saturday, around eight hours after the accident at the Club Car plant in Evans, the Augusta Press reports. The company, which makes golf carts and other vehicles, confirmed that a "contract labor worker experienced a critical injury" and said it is working with authorities in an investigation. Smith tells NBC News that she saw Drinkard, who was working across from her, drop the AirPod and told her she would retrieve it when it was safe to do so.

Smith says Drinkard told her she would just get new ones—but a second later, she saw that Drinkard's arm was caught in the machinery and there was a lot of blood. Smith says Drinkard was quiet but well-liked by colleagues. "When she did come out, it was always laughs. She was always so sweet." Smith says she is traumatized by memories of seeing Drinkard trapped in the conveyor and she's not sure she'll ever return to work at the plant. (More freak accident stories.)