El Toro : Worker Dies After His Jackhammer Hits Cable
A civilian construction worker at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station was fatally injured Tuesday when his jackhammer accidentally struck an underground electric power cable, base officials said.
The county coroner’s office identified the victim as Gary Mendoza, 30, of San Bernardino.
The accident occurred at 9:30 a.m. A deputy coroner said Mendoza died at 10:35 a.m. at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he had been airlifted by a Marine Corps rescue helicopter immediately after the accident.
Mendoza, an employee of Delgado and Sons Contractors of Yucaipa, was working on a runway extension at the base at the time of the accident, said Lt. Col. Jerry Shelton, public affairs officer for the air station.
Shelton said some base electrical power was lost for a minute or two after the accident but was quickly restored.
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