Coroner IDs Disneyland Worker Killed In Steel Plate Accident

ANAHEIM, CA —A man working in a trench at Disneyland in Anaheim suffered severe injuries and died Thursday morning after a steel plate fell on him, officials say.

Paramedics were called to the park just after 3:15 a.m., where they located Javier Jimenez, a 37-year-old West Covina resident. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, and died shortly after his arrival, according to Anaheim Fire and Rescue Sgt. Daron Wyatt.

Jimenez was one of several workers installing "chiller lines for an HVAC system when a piece of equipment they were lowering struck a beam," Wyatt told the Orange County Register. The beam then struck a steel plate, which then hit the worker and knocked him over, Wyatt said.

Firefighters loaded Jimenez into a basket and hoisted him out of the eight- to ten-foot trench, and took him by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

"We are saddened by this tragic accident involving a contractor and on behalf of Disneyland Resort extend our deepest sympathies to Mr. Jimenez’s family, friends and coworkers," a Disneyland spokesperson told Patch.

A GoFundMe fundraiser for the family of Javier Jimenez was established in his memory.

City News Service contributed to this report.