SERIOUS INJURY ACCIDENT: BRIAN CARDOZA

UPDATE October 26, 2010:

Brian’s condition continues to improve everyday. He’s responding to everything that the nurses are asking of him.  He has a little pneumonia and they are giving him medication for that.  He continues to rest and is not taking many visitors. His wounds are looking good and his lung is no longer collapsed.  He’s slowly improving and needing his rest.

UPDATE-October 22, 2010:

Brian underwent surgery on his leg last night (10/21)  and the surgery went well.  His father spoke with the doctor and the prognosis sounded really good. Today they will perform more tests and x-rays.  Will update again when more information becomes available

On Tuesday October 19, 2010 an Outside Line Construction crew working on the transmission line upgrade project in the Sacramento area experienced a serious injury accident that involved one of our IBEW Local 1245 construction members when a transmission lattice tower he was working on collapsed.

Brian Cardoza, 35, a Local 1245 Outside Line Construction member suffered severe trauma to his chest and upper thigh leg area when the tower buckled while in the process of removing a section of wire and, eventually, the tower as part of the project.  Brian is in extremely critical condition at this time and the full extent of his injuries are still being determined.  Since the time of the accident Brian has had some small improvement with every hour that passes. Credit was given by EMS to his coworkers in stabilizing him and administering first aid on site prior to their arrival which has given him a fighting chance in surviving this accident.

The accident is currently under investigation by the contractor, CalOSHA and the contracting agency (WAPA) to determine the cause and establishing corrective measures to ensure this does not happen again.  As with any serious accident there are different accounts of what happened; however, it is extremely important for the investigation process to run its course so that all the facts are known. Please encourage all who inquire about this accident to let the investigation process run its course.

I will keep everyone informed as more information becomes available.

Ralph Armstrong, Chairman
Local 1245 Safety Committee