GILA BEND, AZ — It was an afternoon in late February, and a fire engine at the Gila Bend Fire Station wouldn’t start.
Paramedic Cody Jordan and another worker were inside the garage bay, trying to get the battery number from inside the engine compartment so the battery could be replaced. They used a hydraulic system to lift the cab high enough to access the engine compartment.
That’s when something went wrong.
The hydraulic system failed, trapping Jordan between the 2,500-pound cab and the engine compartment, according to an investigation by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health. He was flown to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries.
“It's disturbing that this accident happened,” said Dennis Kavanaugh, chairman of the Industrial Commission of Arizona, the state agency that oversees ADOSH and workplace safety.
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The ADOSH investigation says the cab’s built-in locking mechanism worked only when the cab was fully extended. There was also no documentation the hydraulic system had ever been previously inspected.
ADOSH fined the Gila Bend Fire Department $17,131 and cited the department for worker-safety violations, including:
- Failure to have procedures in place to ensure the fire engine was safe to service and maintain.
- Failure to report an accident requiring hospitalization within 24 hours to ADOSH, which is required by law.
"I'd like to say that I really feel bad for the family and for everyone that has suffered from this,” said Maria Cecelia Valdez, a member of the Industrial Commission.
ABC15 reached out to the paramedic and his family to see how he is progressing but did not hear back yet. ABC15 also contacted Gila Bend’s fire chief and the Town of Gila Bend for comment on the state fines. In a statement, Gila Bend Town Manager Katherine Valenzuela said the town does not comment on active legal matters.
Cities and companies that are issued worker-safety fines have an opportunity to appeal citations and fines. It’s unknown at this time whether the fire department plans to contest the fines.
Kavanaugh, the Industrial Commission chairman, said he encourages cities and towns, like Gila Bend, to become part of ADOSH’s Consultation and Training Program. The pro-active program is designed to identify workplace hazards before they result in accidents. Consultants don’t issue citations or fines.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at: anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.
