Worker Falls on Luggage Belt at Airport, Breaks Legs
A 32-year-old maintenance worker at John Wayne Airport broke both of his legs Tuesday when he fell on a luggage conveyor belt, fire officials said.
The accident occurred about 9:15 a.m. as Shane Whitfill of Long Beach was attempting to repair the baggage conveyor belt.
“He stepped on some rollers and fell,” said Orange County Fire Department Capt. Dan Young. Whitfill was trapped in the machinery leading from the check-in area to the baggage-handling area “for quite a period of time . . . about 50 minutes,” Young said.
When Whitfill fell, he broke both legs and was pinned against the equipment, authorities said.
Paramedics injected Whitfill with a pain reliever as firefighters from a station at the airport used heavy rescue equipment to set him free, Young said.
Whitfill, who is employed by AMR, a company that services the baggage equipment under a contract with the airport, was transported to Irvine Medical Center, where he underwent surgery,
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