SAN DIEGO — Crisis counselors will be available Thursday at Monte Vista High School to students and educators who saw a construction worker killed in a fall from a 30-foot-high platform in a construction zone.
The fatal industrial accident at the campus in the 3200 block of Sweetwater Springs Boulevard in Spring Valley occurred shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday following a "topping out" ceremony marking the completion of a new event center, according to sheriff's officials.
Paramedics took the mortally injured worker, 30-year-old Jose Arturo Navarro of Bakersfield, to Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office reported.
Another laborer also was injured in the accident and taken to a hospital, according to school district officials. It was not immediately clear how that worker was injured, or how seriously.
The Grossmont Union High School District officials released the following statement:
"The Grossmont Union High School District expresses its deepest condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of an ironworker who passed away from injuries sustained while working on a new Event Center construction project at Monte Vista High School. A second worker was also injured and was transported. No students or staff were involved in the accident. The construction site will remain secured until the investigation is complete. The District is cooperating with all of the involved agencies and project partners. We thank our friends and partners at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and San Miguel Fire and Rescue for their swift response to this tragedy."
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health was called in to investigate the fatality, sheriff's Sgt. Matt Cook said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Navarro's family.
