Worker Dies After Falling From Aerial Basket
Posted on June 20, 2012 Written By: iadminlaw
PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC PLANT – NARA – 544956 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
While out at our day jobs, most of us assume that we will be provided with great protection and security at work. Whether it is a regular office job or a job working in the emergency room, we all acknowledge that our workplace is providing us with the best physical protection they can manage. However, there are jobs that might prove to be a bit more risky. These workers are aware of the risks and dangers around them…putting it into perspective, how many of these dangers actually manifest into reality?
Many workers in a more risky job environment may not pay much attention to the potential personal injury they might experience while out working in their field. It would be wise to note that there are legal attorneys out to assist anyone who experiences harm, pain and suffering in a work accident.
On Tuesday, June 19, Luis Roberto Minjarez died after falling in a Kern Power Plant in Bakersfield. Minjarez, 51, worked for the Pacific Gas & Electric Company. He was on an elevated lift when he fell to his death at 9:16 a.m. Apparently, the lift had overturned, causing Minjarez to topple over and fall. He was about 50 feet high in an aerial basket over a boiler room, cutting beams.
What had happened was that one beam he had cut, fell, and knocked over the aerial basket he was standing in. This had caused the basket to topple. After falling, he was taken straight to the Kern Medical Center but died less than an hour later.
According to the Pacific Gas & Electric company’s president, Jim Sheridan, this accident has been the first. Their company was currently trying to demolish the power plant before Minjajez’s incident. Since then, all work has been stopped at the site indefinitely. Sheridan says he does not know when work will be started again.
There is an ongoing investigation of what happened to determine how it could have been prevented. This knowledge will hopefully prevent any future mishaps and casualties on the job site. Investigators are still not sure if Minjarez was wearing a harness that would have secured him to the aerial basket.
The 51-year old is believed to be from Los Angeles. Once the investigations of his death have been completed, the job to finish demolishing the plant will resume. The company hopes to finish this task by December of this year.
This kind of work tragedy is sadly irreversible. Luis Minjarez’s family must be grieving over this sudden wrongful death. Nothing will be able to restore Minjarez life and comfort may be hard to find right now. A work tragedy is hard to deal with, especially one similar to this situation.
Safety in job sites should be provided and given to all workers, no matter what kind of job the worker has. If you or a family member has been injured in a job site, call a personal injury lawyer to help you assess the next step. If you have had a family member’s life taken away due to careless and unsafe work environments, contact a Bakersfield personal injury attorney and file a claim today.
