By Lori Ehde
More than 700 people attended the funeral of Nicholas Jay Mann, who died in a welding accident at Cor-Tech Manufacturing last week.
Nick, 26, was killed instantly Wednesday, July 31, when a tire he was working on at Cor-Tech Manufacturing, Luverne, exploded at about 2 p.m.
The force of the explosion sent the rim careening through the roof of the shop, delivering a fatal blow to Nick's head on the way.
According to co-worker Jamie Stratton, Cor-Tech Manufacturing has been closed all week and will re-open for business Monday.
He said even the Cor-Tech employees don't know exactly what went wrong in the accident that also injured customer John Teune, Steen.
Teune, who was treated and released at Luverne Community Hospital, had brought a cracked rim to Cor-Tech with the tire already taken off. After it was welded, a local co-op put the tire back on.
Teune later brought the tire back to Cor-Tech after finding it was still leaking air, so Nick worked on the wheel with the tire inflated on the rim.
Stratton said it was not an older split rim that has become known for causing "widow maker" accidents.
It has been confirmed there were no additives in the tire that may have caused the explosion. The tire was larger than a car tire, but it wasn't a tractor tire.
'It wasn't
anybody's fault'
Nick's father, Rich Mann, has spoken frequently with shop owner Corey Stratton since the accident and they've been unable to determine what went wrong.
"It was important to him, too, to know what happened," Rich said Tuesday.
"My biggest concern is that nobody puts any blame on anybody else. It wasn't anybody's fault. It was an accident. It was fate - or God's plan - however you want to look at it."
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident.
Cor-Tech opened nearly 10 years ago on Gabrielson Drive for the purpose of repairing farm equipment and custom manufacturing parts for people and businesses.
The business employed nine people, counting Nick, and has a reputation for manufacturing unique equipment for specialized industries.
For example, Cor-Tech designs and manufactures the City of Luverne's trailers that are used to collect residential recyclables.
Love for old vehicles
The funeral Sunday afternoon reflected Nick's talent for welding, engine repair and his love for old vehicles.
For example, Nick had planned to restore a 1946 Hudson pickup given to him by his uncle, Rod Twito. So the casket was transported to Maplewood Cemetery in the bed of that pickup, with Rich and Nick's wife, Angie, riding along.
Pallbearers rode to the funeral in a Chevy pickup, "Ol' Bessie," which Nick and his good friend, Rob Wenzel, enjoyed many good times with.
In a tribute to her grandson at the funeral, Betty Mann said, "He took apart anything he could find and put it back together again just to see if he could." (Her tribute is reprinted in this edition of the Star Herald.)
Nick had played a role in the racing career of his brother, Anthony Mann, serving occasionally as a pit crew member.
That was another theme at the funeral, with friends and family members donning Anthony Mann racing shirts to the services.
Anthony placed fourth in Friday night's race at Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids, passing a car on the last lap. Rich said, "It was a move that Nick would have said, ÔNice job, Helmsley.'"
On the race car door, over the No. 20, were the words, "In memory of my No. 1 fan, Nick."
The "i" in Nick's name on the rear was dotted with a halo, and the letters were flanked by angel wings.
Rich said supporters at the event raised a large amount of money in memorials for Nick.
Angie said local support has been overwhelming.
"You can't say thank you enough for all the support weÕve been shown the past few days," she said Monday.
She said she plans to continue wearing her ribbon - one of 400 that a group of friends assembled and distributed in Nick's memory.
The ribbons were green, purple, orange and black to signify Nick's enthusiasm for Arctic Cat snowmobiles.
Nick, son of Rich and JoLeah Mann, grew up in Luverne and graduated from Luverne High School in 1994.