SANTA ROSA BEACH — A 54-year-old Atlanta man was killed Wednesday morning when he was run over by a front-end loader at a construction site in South Walton County
The accident occurred at 6:45 a.m. on an access drive to Topsail Apartments on Dune Lake Circle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The man’s identity was being withheld pending notification of his next-of-kin.
Freeport resident Iran C. Covarrubias, 25, was operating a 2005 John Deere L22 Loader at the site when the man walked in front of it and was run over, according to a news release from the FHP. He was pronounced dead at the scene by rescuers from the South Walton Fire District.
Crews have been working on the $23 million apartment complex since October 2012. The apartments are being built by Dominion Partners of Birmingham, Ala.
Al Worthington, CEO of Dominion Partners, said he believes the man killed was working as a carpenter. He said the construction crew was subcontracted to Multicon Construction of Atlanta.
“Obviously, we are all very saddened,” Worthington said. “I’m not sure exactly what happened. Everyone there is doing everything they can to make it a safe site. It appears to be somewhat of a freak accident.”
Worthington did not know whether the worker’s death will halt construction, but said there likely will be additional precautions put in place and more safety inspections.
Jeff Romeo, acting director with the Jacksonville area office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said OSHA had been contacted about the accident and an inspector had responded to begin an investigation.
Employers are required to report an accidental death within eight hours, Romeo said. The OSHA investigator will review what happened, how it happened and whether safety hazards were involved.
Responsible parties could be subject to a citation from OSHA. Romeo said the investigation could take up to six months.
