A construction worker died after an accident at Disneyland in Anaheim, California early Thursday morning. A steel plate fell on the 38-year-old man. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.
The victim was identified as Javier Jimenez.
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“We are saddened by this tragic accident involving a contractor and on behalf of Disneyland Resort extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Jimenez’s family, friends and coworkers,” a Disneyland spokeswoman told PopCulture.com.
Paramedics were called to Disneyland at about 3:20 a.m., and the man was taken to a nearby hospital. Anaheim Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt told NBC Los Angeles the victim was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
The man was working for a contractor, installing piping for a heating and air conditioning system just outside the park, Wyatt explained.
According to Wyatt, a crane holding a long pipe hit a cross beam, knocking over a metal plate holding up a wall. The plate knocked the victim over. The victim was standing in an eight- to 10-foot deep trench.
CBS Los Angeles reports that visitors will not be impacted by the accident. However, employees and vendors were told to take a different route to the park this morning because of officials’ vehicles still on the scene.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is now investigating.
In March, a construction worker fell to his death at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT park in the France pavilion. In that case, the person was employed by Sunbelt Rentals, a third-party while working on renovations to the area.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of one of our team members in a tragic accident,” a spokesperson for Sunbelt Rentals said at the time. “We are working closely with the local authorities.”
There have been other deaths at the Disney parks in the past. In July 2018, a 33-year-old Florida native died after a battery fell on him at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. In August 2018, another man working for a third-party contractor died after falling into a vat filled with oil just off Disney World property.
Both Disneyland and Disney World experienced big changes in 2019 thanks to the opening of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. The Disneyland version opened on May 31, while the Disney World version opened on Friday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The two lands only offer one ride, Smuggler’s Run. A second, Rise of the Resistance, will open at Hollywood Studios in December and in Disneyland in January.
Photo credit: David McNew/Getty Images
