LOS ANGELES — Suicide is currently being looked at in worker's deadly fall from soon-to-be tallest building, the Wilshire Grand Center, in downtown Los Angeles.
Joseph Sabbatino, 36, from Palmdale fell from the 53rd floor of the construction site at 624 S. Figueroa St., onto a passing vehicle just after 12:30 p.m. on March 17.
Sabbatino had been working on the tower floor, which does not yet have windows. The floor is outfitted with an 8-foot-high "integrity fence" — a metal barrier intended to keep construction workers, building materials and tools from falling out of the tower. While the tower is outfitted with safety nets to catch falling objects at some of the building's highest points, Sabbatino fell from a floor below.
According to Ed Winter, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, his death is being looked at as a possible suicide.
Sabbatino was an electrician who was on his second day on the job. While all workers are required to wear harnesses and safety helmets, he was found without both. Turner Construction, which manages the building site, said that Sabbatino had no reason to be above the third floor.
The woman driving the car, Sabbatino landed on was not injured. She was taken to an area hospital to be evaluated, according to a Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman.
The construction site was shut down after Sabbatino's death, but is expected to resume over the weekend.
When completed, the Wilshire Grand tower, a $1.2-billion hotel and office project, will stand 1,100-foot-tall, making it the tallest structure west of the Mississippi.
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