LA Construction Worker Death Ruled Suicide

The death of an electrician who fell from the 53rd floor of a downtown high-rise last week has been ruled a suicide, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said Thursday.

Joseph Sabbatino, a 36-year-old electrician, was on his second day on the job March 17 when he plummeted from the Wilshire Grand Hotel project and landed on a car passing by.

A Cal/OHSA and Los Angeles Police Department investigation determined the fall was not work-related, and it appears there were no "fall protection" violations.

Chris Martin of the Martin Management Company, which is involved in the construction, said workers must wear safety harnesses and are protected by barricades around the exterior of the building.

According to the company, Sabbatino did not have a harness because he was not supposed to be above the third floor, which is where he was scheduled to do his work. He was issued a hard hat as is mandated for anyone on site.

The company said when Sabbatino plunged, many of the workers on the 53rd floor were on a lunch break. But it was not clear if anyone was with him or witnessed his fall.

The construction site remained quiet a day after the death. Mourners placed flowers at the bottom of the building.

Work at the Wilshire Grand, slated to be the tallest skyscraper in the West upon completion, resumed Monday.

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