An Arizona man died after he was involved in an industrial accident at his workplace.
Jose Fernando Partida, 57, was cleaning the inside of a chemical mixer at at Gowan Milling LLC in Yuma when tragedy struck. The machine he was in turned on as a co-worker climbed inside to assist with the cleaning, and although they managed to escape, Partida wasn’t so lucky, according to his son Omar.
Workers managed to shut the machine’s power off instantly, Rural Metro Fire said, but the complex rescue operation took over five hours. Rescuers had to wear hazmat equipment due to the chemical exposure. Partida would suffered several serious injuries and died a week later.
“The sad thing is the time that he was there and that he was begging for help,” Omar told AZFamily. “I was imagining all the pain that he was passed through and all that stuff. I imagine it’s just to be there for five hours and hold all the pain. I don’t think my dad deserved all that.”
Omar told AZFamily that he received a call that there’d been an accident, but he assumed it was something minor. Instead, he learned his father was trapped inside a piece of heavy equipment.
Partida was hospitalized for a week after the incident. He was unconscious for much of it and had endured broken ribs, a broken leg, and bruising throughout his body. He died over the weekend.
The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and the Industrial Commission of Arizona said the incident is being investigated. It could take up to five months to complete, AZFamily reports.
Omar said his father was always there for him and his family.
“He always was trying to help us and anything that we had the problems, he was there,” he added. “And he always have an answer for me. Now that he’s not here, it’s like, I don’t know. It’s like, ‘cause it was just me, my sister and him.”
“He always called me to let me know about soccer and about football,” Omar said.
Omar’s family has launched a GoFundMe to help with medical and funeral costs. At the time of writing, it has raised over $5,000 towards its target of $10,000.
“Jose was a joyful, loving man who brought people together. He loved life, music, dancing, soccer, and above all, his family. He leaves behind his devoted wife Lupe and two children, Omar and Allison, whom he loved tremendously,” the GoFundMe states.
Gowan Milling LLC issued the following statement following the incident:
“A Gowan Milling employee was injured during an incident on January 4 at our Yuma, Arizona production facility,” a statement from Gowan Milling LLC to AZFamily read.
“We immediately enacted our emergency response protocol upon learning of this employee’s injury, including calling emergency medical professionals and other first responders. Emergency responders provided medical care to our employee on the scene and transported him to the hospital by ambulance.”
It continued: “We also worked closely with first responders to secure the area surrounding the incident. Unfortunately, the employee passed away in the hospital due to his injuries on January 10. We are deeply saddened by the loss of our employee, and our thoughts and most sincere sympathies are extended to his family at this time. The safety of our employees is our first priority, and we are conducting an investigation into this incident. We also are continuing to cooperate with local law enforcement and regulatory agencies”
