Worker Killed In Fall From Cherry Picker Truck In San Jose
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A man who fell from a cherry picker and died in San Jose Wednesday morning worked for a subcontractor assigned to work on the city's streetlights, authorities said.
The man fell around 9:40 a.m. as he worked on a boom truck in the area of South Second and Martha streets, about two blocks east of Washington Elementary School, police Officer Albert Morales said.
Emergency crews pronounced the man dead at the scene a short time later, according to Morales.
The fall appears to have been an industrial accident and was referred to Cal/OSHA, he said. A Cal/OSHA spokesperson Wednesday confirmed on Twitter that the agency is investigating.
A witness told KPIX-TV at the time of the fatal fall a road rage incident happened directly under the raised cherry picker, involving two drivers fighting each other.
It was unknown whether the incident had anything to do with the man falling out of the cab.
The worker was employed by facility management company ABM Electrical & Lighting providing electrical and lighting services, according to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
ABM is a subcontractor of OpTerra Energy Services, a San Francisco-based company, which entered a contract with the city last year to retrofit some 18,000 streetlights with LED lighting, according to city spokesman David Vossbrink.
The bulk of the work was completed last month, with a couple hundred conversions left to be completed this summer, according to Vossbrink.
About one-third of the city's total streetlights have been assigned to OpTerra, Vossbrink said.
"We are deeply saddened by this morning's tragedy, and our prayers are with the deceased's family and coworkers," John Gajan, vice president of operations at OpTerra, said in a statement.
"We are coordinating with our subcontractor, ABM, and the City of San Jose to help determine the cause," Gajan said.
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