A fatal accident at a South Austin construction site is being investigated by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).
The accident occurred at the Retreat at North Bluff Apartments at 6212 Crow Lane around 8 a.m. on Thursday. Officials with OSHA learned that two men were caulking brickwork near a staircase when they fell off their makeshift scaffolding. The fall killed one man and injured the other. While this seems fairly straightforward, investigators were sent in to determine whether the men fell of their own accord or the scaffolding gave way.
Another group, The Workers Defense Project, has also stepped in to learn about the cause of the construction accident. They are interviewing some of the coworkers who witnessed the accident. They identified the victim as Elvis Mendez, 29, who leaves behind a wife and two children in Dallas.
According to law, OSHA has six months to investigate the accident and file charges. However, they also cannot release details about the accident until their investigation has been completed.