SCAFFOLDING ACCIDENT IN AUSTIN KILLS CONSTRUCTION WORKER

One construction worker died in a scaffolding accident in Austin, TX at the end of January.  KVUE ABC News in Austin identifies the victim as Elvis Mendez.Mendez was a 29-year-old construction worker from Dallas, who was in Austin working at a construction site.  Mendez left behind a wife and two children in Dallas.The scaffolding accident occurred on Thursday afternoon, January 27 at the Retreat at North Bluff apartment complex in south Austin.  Mendez and another worker were working on caulk for a brick staircase when they fell off the scaffolding.  The other worker received treatment for injuries at an area hospital, and paramedics pronounced Mendez as dead on the scene.Investigators from OSHA (Occupational Health & Safety Administration) arrived at the construction site on the following Friday morning.  They are attempting to determine if the scaffolding gave way or if the men simply fell off.  OSHA has six months from the time of the construction accident to complete their investigation, and cannot release any details before it is completed.The Workers Defense Project—a non-profit organization—is also conducting an investigation of the construction accident.“Nobody likes to see someone passed away, and he was a young gentleman too,” said one witness.  “Nobody likes to see that.”