Worker’s death being probed as possible suicide
The death of an electrician who plunged from the 53rd f loor of the downtown Los Angeles Wilshire Grand construction site is being investigated as a possible suicide, the coroner’s office confirmed Friday.
Los Angeles County coroner’s spokesman Ed Winter said that Thursday’s death was reported as a possible suicide, but no final determination had been made and no note found. “If there’s not a note, we have to take any physical evidence into account, contact family and see if there’s any type of ideations or history,” Winter said.
Coroner officials identified the man as Joseph Sab- batino, 36, of Palmdale.
Turner Construction, the company that manages the building site, said Sabbatino had no reason to be above the third f loor. Witnesses said it appeared he had removed his hard hat before the fall and that he was not wearing a tethered safety harness. The f loor level also had been outfitted with an 8foot- high “integrity fence” — a metal barrier intended to keep construction workers, building materials and tools from falling out of the tower.
Sabbatino landed on a moving car, whose driver escaped injury, authorities said.
On Friday, a woman who answered Sabbatino’s telephone identified herself as his wife and said she had no comment.
It was Sabbatino’s sec- ond day on the job, the company said. His father, Vance Sabbatino, told KABC- TV Channel 7 that his son lived with depression and struggled to find a career.
He left his job as a real estate agent with Re/ Max All-Pro in the Antelope Valley in December, a company official said. “We send our deep- est sympathy to his family and his loved ones,” said Mary Dennis, a company operations manager.
On his Re/ Max profile, Sabbatino described himself as sincere, effective and determined. “Wanting to expand my knowledge in other aspects, in 1999 I moved to the Antelope Valley and pur- sued construction where I learned about framing, electrical, and HVAC,” he wrote.
The construction company said all workers went through a “comprehensive safety orientation” for the Wilshire Grand project. Sabbatino had completed his safety training Wednesday.
Work on the project will resume Monday, when a sitewide meeting will be held with workers. Grief counselors will be at the site.
joseph. serna@ latimes. com veronica. rocha @ latimes. com Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.