4 Suffer Burns in Latest Accident on Corridor Project

In the latest in a series of serious accidents at the massive Alameda Corridor construction project, four workers suffered serious to mild burns Monday when a concrete pump truck struck high-voltage overhead power lines.

The most serious injuries were to two brothers from Los Angeles, Juan and Mariano Valencia, who were standing near a chain-link fence, about 20 feet from the truck, when the truck’s boom touched the power line. It sent 34,400 volts of electricity coursing through the truck and fence, setting at least one man’s clothes afire.

Juan Valencia, 34, suffered severe burns to nearly 40% of his body, while Mariano Valencia, 24, had burns on 50% of his body, according to a spokeswoman at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Two other workers, Kevin Stadler, a Buena Park resident whose age was unavailable, and Dave Thompson, 56, of Anaheim suffered lesser burns and were treated at the medical center and released.

It is not the first such incident. Last summer, two corridor workers were burned in separate incidents involving cranes that hit overhead power lines. State safety inspectors cited and fined project contractors for safety violations in those incidents.

In response to the latest accident, state safety inspectors said they plan to beef up on-site inspections at the $2.4-billion project, one of the largest construction projects in the nation.

“Something has broken down,” said Susan Gard, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “We have to take a long, hard look at what is happening.”

Workers at the project said they are stunned by the latest series of accidents.

“It’s weird we’ve had all these accidents lately,” said Steve Wadman of Redondo Beach, a 21-year construction veteran and surveyor on the Alameda project. “We’ve gone 2 years without any problems and all of a sudden, we have three back to back. It’s scary.”

Officials at the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, the public agency overseeing the construction, called the latest incident frustrating and said they welcomed extra inspections from the state.

Tim Buresh, director of construction and engineering for the authority, said the project’s overall safety record had been very good since work began in 1998.

“Now, all of a sudden we’ve had a rash break out,” he said. “Why? Frankly, damned if I know.”

In the latest accident, Thompson, the truck driver, was unloading equipment to begin pouring concrete into a trench when he elevated the truck’s boom and hit two power lines, about 30 to 40 feet high, witnesses said. It was shortly after 4 a.m. near the corner of Vernon Avenue and Alameda Street.

Apparently at least one of the Valencia brothers was leaning on the fence when the line was struck and the other brother may have tried to pull him away, Buresh said. Stadler suffered severe burns to his hands when he tried to help the men.

Valencia family members declined to comment.

Officials said an investigation will be conducted to determine why the truck hit the lines.

“He [Thompson] should not have been so close to the power lines,” said Buresh, who added that there are rules dictating how close equipment can come to the lines. “There’s no question he was too close.”

Construction was suspended Monday morning. Buresh said a decision would be made today about when work would resume.

Buresh said the electricity may have traveled for blocks through the chain-link fence that encircles the trench.

“It’s amazing no one else was injured,” he said. “Anyone could have been leaning on that fence.”

The project suffered its first fatality May 25 when surveyor Ralph Gameroz, 32, of Wilmington was run over by a grading machine.

Last week, Carlos Enrique Alvarez, 30, of Long Beach died after he fell into a 40-foot-deep hole and was buried by 30 feet of dirt. It took rescuers six hours to reach him.

Gard said state safety records show that the Alameda Corridor project had no major incident until last July when a worker suffered second- and third-degree burns to his hands and feet when the crane he was operating struck a 16,000-volt power line. A month later, another worker suffered similar injuries when the crane he was operating also hit a power line.

In each case, the state agency fined the contractors $18,000 for safety violations. The contractors have appealed both penalties.

When completed next year, the 20-mile, high-speed railway will move cargo between the bustling harbor and rail hubs near downtown Los Angeles.

About half of the corridor will be at grade. The other half will be a 30-foot-deep trench along Alameda Street, a heavily industrial thoroughfare that bisects some of the county’s poorest cities.

Since the incidents began last summer, Buresh said, Alameda Corridor officials have stopped work several times to hold meetings to stress safety precautions.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to break this cycle,” Buresh said. “This will not happen again.”

Nearly seven miles of the 10-mile trench have been completed, and Buresh said he cannot attribute the rash of accidents to a particularly difficult phase of the project.

“Te most difficult or high-risk operations are behind us,” he said.

Buresh noted, however, that high-voltage lines run on both sides of the trench, doubling the risk of contact. But he said the transportation authority has repeatedly warned contractors about the hazards of the overhead lines.

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Corridor Accidents

Nine serious accidents have occurred during construction of the Alameda Corridor, a $2.4-billion high-speed railway project.

June 11: Four men suffer mild to serious burns when a concrete boom hits a high-voltage power line.

June 6: A worker dies after falling into a 40-foot hole and getting buried by dirt.

May 25: A worker is run over by a grading machine in the project’s first fatal accident.

March 22: A worker is seriously injured in a fall from a scaffold.

Nov. 20, 2000: A pipe layer is burned by hot water while working on a sewer connection.

Oct. 7, 2000: A worker is struck by a train.

Oct. 3, 2000: A pipe layer is seriously injured when struck by a piece of broken pipe.

Aug. 19, 2000: A worker is burned when a crane touches a 16,000-volt power line.

July 17, 2000: A worker is burned while preparing a crane that strikes a 16,000-volt power line.

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Source: state Division of Occupational Safety and Health