TAMPA, Fla. — One person passed away during a construction accident at Tampa International Airport on July 31. Officials say he tried escaping the excavator before the fatal fall.
According to a statement from TPA, airport police received reports about the incident around 7:41 a.m. Officials said the accident involved a construction equipment operator working as part of the Airside A shuttle guideway renovation project.
Some construction equipment reportedly fell off the shuttle track with the operator still inside.
Officials said that Cesar Hernandez Donu, 29, realized the excavator was about to fall and tried to escape but couldn't get out in time.
A TPAPD incident report states that Donu had lifted a metal plate and started turning left when the weight shifted, and the excavator began going over the edge of the driveway. That's when Donu was seen unstrapping his seatbelt and trying to get out of the cab.
A witness told police that Donu didn't make it out and went over the side of the guideway, which was about 65 feet from the ground.
Donu later died from his injuries.
Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone obtained the most recent batch of Florida teacher exit interviews which detail, in their own words, why teachers left the classroom this summer.
