SOUTH COAST : Electrical Problems Found at Death Site

Ventura County officials who inspected a saltwater pumping station Wednesday after the electrocution death of an Oxnard surfer said it appears that there were electrical problems at the site near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line.

The surfer, Alfonso De Los Santos, a 28-year-old construction worker, was pronounced dead Tuesday at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard after touching the steel top of the pumping station, which is owned by Neptune’s Net Seafood Restaurant. The station is used to pump saltwater into the restaurant to keep fresh seafood alive.

“It does appear there are possibly some electrical problems that were happening at the time of the accident,” said Coroner’s Investigator Craig Stevens, who inspected the station with two county electricians.

Stevens would not elaborate, but said a full report on the condition of the pumping station would be finished by the end of the week.

Coroner’s Investigator Jim Wingate said De Los Santos was coming out of the water after surfing off the 4200 block of South Pacific Coast Highway when he touched the top of the enclosure.

The cause of death was listed as electrocution, coroner’s officials said Wednesday.

Restaurant owners told officials that they had recently inspected the pump after patrons complained of receiving small shocks from the machine but failed to detect any problems.