UPDATE : CA wood chipper accident
Update: County Worker Killed in Wood Chipper Lost Arm in Earlier Workplace Accident
WATSONVILLE - Twenty-five years ago, Santa Cruz County worker Henry Lira, who died Monday in a wood chipper accident, lost one arm and badly mangled another in a workplace accident. As he grabbed jumper cables out of the cab of a crane, the crane's extension touched a nearby power line, badly shocking him. Now, friends and family who watched Lira recover from his burns, learn to use a prosthetic limb and return to the job he held for more than 40 years, are stunned to hear he died in a horrific work accident. A Watsonville native, Lira, 60, was killed Monday after he was pulled into a wood chipper, according to Sheriff's Office reports. "Who he was and what he did, he's such an inspiration," said Gloria Soto, 60, of Los Angeles, a longtime friend who attended Linscott Elementary School and graduated from Watsonville High with Lira. "He understands what a disabled person goes through," she said, and recently motivated her as she lost her sight and went through surgery to restore it. Lira's sister, Becky Marquez, 56, of Fresno, remembered her older brother as a "gentle soul" who loved to garden and cook for the family. Last week, Lira drove to his mother's house in Fresno and spent a few days clearing brush and weeds from her yard, Marquez said. "He didn't like to argue. He always tried to settle things with his gentle ways," Marquez said. Lira had worked for the county since 1969, and Monday morning was part of a four-person crew clearing brush and doing maintenance on Whiting Road near Paulsen Road. The accident occurred about 9:15 a.m. Lira died at the scene, and an ambulance and fire crew were canceled before they arrived. Krisann Chasarik, spokeswoman for California Department of Industrial Relations, said her office is investigating the incident to determine how it happened and identify any health or safety violations. Chasarik said state law would not have stopped Lira from working around machinery like wood chippers due to his prosthetic limb. "Absolutely not," Chasarik said. "If somebody is able to do the job and perform the essential functions," they can qualify for the job, she said. In 1988, Lira and his former wife, Maria, sued PG&E for negligence, saying the line that touched the county crane and badly shocked him was sagging and therefore a hazard, according to past Sentinel stories. A Superior Court jury ruled that PG&E was not to blame for the accident. Despite that event, Soto and Marquez said Lira always spoke affectionately of fellow Santa Cruz County staff and was eager to return to work after the accident. So much so, Marquez said, that he asked doctors not to amputate both burned arms. Doctors saved one, with help from a transplanted toe. "He was so proud to be part of the county workers," Soto said. "He felt like he was part of a big family, and he was." John Presleigh, director of Public Works, agreed. "He had a lot of close friends," Presleigh said, recalling Lira as a soft-spoken, hard worker who enjoyed heavy machinery. "He's just one of those guys, always dependable, on call late at night, he was always there," Presleigh said. "We're going to miss him a lot."
http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15255708
