A scaffolder has died after falling from a platform into the water at an offshore services yard near Corpus Christi, Texas.
According to a US Coast Guard report the incident occurred around 1:30 pm. on Saturday 1 October. The man was last seen wearing a blue life jacket, safety harness and tool belt.
The US Coast Guard’s local unit reported receiving a call at 1:45 p.m. from Corpus Christi Police Department personnel stating a scaffolder fell off a platform at Kiewit Offshore Services and entered the water in La Quinta Channel.
The on-site safety officer reported the man did not resurface and had been missing for 15 minutes.
An air and sea search and rescue operation was launched involving the local Police Dept and US Coast Guard but was later called off the same day after commercial divers found the man’s body near the rig.
Local police later confirmed his identity as 29-year-old Ricardo Jazael Laredo Padron from Aransas Pass.
Police said in a report that despite the scaffolder wearing all the appropriate safety equipment for working at height over water, the man was deceased. His inflatable personal flotation device (PFD) failed to deploy, which likely contributed to his death.
An investigation into the man’s death continues.
