Company Charged in Death of Employee
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Criminal charges have been filed against a Panorama City company stemming from the death of a warehouse worker whose head was crushed in the doors of a freight elevator, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office reported Monday.
La Curacao Inc., which operates a furniture store, is charged with four violations of the state labor code concerning the proper operation of elevators, said Deputy City Atty. Bill Williams, a prosecutor in the case.
According to prosecutors, Cesar R. Ponce, 19, of Arleta, was working in a basement warehouse on Aug. 20, 1996, when the fatal accident occurred as Ponce looked through the elevator doors into the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Cal/OSHA investigators determined that a safety device in the elevator had been bypassed with a string tied to the activating lever, prosecutors said.
The city attorney’s office has not yet determined whether the company’s directors will also be charged, Williams said. If found guilty, the company would face fines and possibly probation, in which it would operate under strict governmental standards. Individuals found guilty could be sentenced to jail, he said.
“It appeared to be part of company policy to tie the string to the device, and we believe the company supervisors were aware of it,” Williams said.
Arraignment is scheduled for June 4 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.
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