Worker at Disneyland dies after being struck by metal panel

A 38-year-old man died after being struck by a metal plate while working on an air conditioning system at Disneyland in Anaheim early Thursday.

Javier Jimenez, who was employed by a contractor for Disneyland, was inside an 8- to 10-foot-deep trench in a backstage area outside the park installing chiller lines for an HVAC system shortly after 3 a.m. when he was injured, said Sgt. Daron Wyatt, a spokesman for Anaheim Fire & Rescue.

The workers were lowering a piece of equipment into the trench when it struck a crossbeam and knocked over a metal panel, which fell on the man and knocked him over, Wyatt said.

Firefighters hoisted the man from the trench and took him to the hospital, where he died.

“We are saddened by this tragic accident involving a contractor and on behalf of Disneyland Resort extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Jimenez’s family, friends and coworkers,” Liz Jaeger, a spokeswoman for the Disneyland Resort, said in a prepared statement.