A devoted father has died in a horrific workplace accident after getting trapped in an industrial chemical mixer at a plant in Arizona.<\/b>
\nA devoted father was killed in a horrific workplace accident after getting trapped in an industrial chemical mixer at a plant in Arizona.
Jose Fernando Partida, 57, died a week after the gruesome incident at his job at Gowan Milling in Yuma, on Jan. 4.
Partida was cleaning the inside of the mixer when the machine was accidentally turned on.
Another coworker who was helping clean the mixer was able to escape, but Partida was trapped.
\u201cThe sad thing is the time that he was there and that he was begging for help,\u201d Partida\u2019s son Omar told Arizona\u2019s Family.
Power was shut off immediately, but it took about five hours for first responders to get Partida out of the mixer, a spokesperson for Rural Metro Fire told the outlet.
A hazmat team was required for the rescue mission due to exposure to harmful chemicals.
\u201cI was imagining all the pain that he was passed through and all that stuff. I imagine it\u2019s just to be there for five hours and hold all the pain. I don\u2019t think my dad deserved all that,\u201d Omar said.
Partida was hospitalized for a week, unconscious with broken ribs, a broken arm and leg, and bruising all over his body, before he died from his injuries on Jan. 10, Omar said.
\u201cWhen they called me that he had an accident, I thought it was like a small accident,\u201d the distraught son added.
He paid tribute to his father as a man who was always there to help and was passionate about sports, especially his beloved LA Rams.
\u201cHe always was trying to help us and anything that we had the problems, he was there. And he always have an answer for me. Now that he\u2019s not here, it\u2019s like, I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s like, because it was just me, my sister and him,\u201d Omar said.
\u201cHe always called me to let me know about soccer and about football,\u201d he added.
Gowan Milling LLC, which provides industrial chemicals to various industries, said it was \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d by Partida\u2019s loss.
\u201cWe immediately enacted our emergency response protocol upon learning of this employee\u2019s injury, including calling emergency medical professionals and other first responders,\u201d a spokesperson told Arizona\u2019s Family.
\u201cEmergency responders provided medical care to our employee on the scene and transported him to the hospital by ambulance. We also worked closely with first responders to secure the area surrounding the incident,\u201d the spokesperson continued.
\u201cWe are deeply saddened by the loss of our employee, and our thoughts and most sincere sympathies are extended to his family at this time,\u201d the spokesperson said.
The incident is under investigation and the company said it is cooperating with law enforcement and regulatory agencies.
The Yuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office and the Industrial Commission of Arizona said their investigation could take up to five months to complete.
A GoFundMe set up by Partida\u2019s cousin to raise money for his family and cover his funeral expenses has so far hit more than $6,000 of its $10,000 target.<\/p>\n