COSTA MESA : Pressman Injured by Errant Paper Roll
A 48-year-old press operator for The Times Orange County Edition escaped serious injury Thursday afternoon when a 1,000-pound roll of paper fell off a rack and pinned him from the waist down against a partially loaded press, authorities said.
Leonso Rodriguez, of Pico Rivera, was being held overnight at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center after X-rays showed he may have sustained two cracked vertebrae in his lower back in the 2:30 p.m. incident, said Helen Mitchell, a staff nurse for The Times.
Witnesses said Rodgriguez was conscious and breathing when paramedics arrived at the Times’ Orange County plant, in the 1300 block of Sunflower Avenue.
According to production manager Tom Atkins, the accident occurred when Rodriguez and an assistant were loading a half-roll of newsprint onto the press. A second, half-roll, which was waiting to be loaded, fell from a cart and pinned Rodriguez.
Three employees pulled the roll off of Rodriguez, Atkins said. Full rolls of newsprint weigh up to 2,200 pounds, pressroom employees said.
Rodriguez has been a Times’ pressman for 10 years.
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