Freak Accident Kills John Wayne Airport Worker

IRVINE, CA - An airport contractor was killed overnight when a jet bridge tire exploded, John Wayne Airport officials said. The tire in question was approximately 4-feet tall, according to airport spokeswoman Deanne Thompson.

"The two contract employees were inside a workshop near Gate Three just before midnight when the tire exploded, and caused traumatic injuries to one of the workers," Thompson told Patch.

The force of the explosion triggered a fire alarm and sprinklers inside the workshop and prompted a response from an Orange County Fire Authority crew and paramedics stationed at the airport, she said.

The second employee in the workshop refused medical attention, Thompson said.

No airport operations were affected, she said. The corporation who employed the contractors, John Bean Technologies released a statement:

"Our company provides maintenance services for equipment at the airport," and the company is fully cooperating with local authorities, a John Bean Spokesperson said. "We are deeply saddened by this event and are focused on providing support and assistance to our employees and their families."

The name of the victim has not yet been released, and the Orange County Sheriff's Department and CalOSHA investigators were expected to continue investigating the incident, according to Thompson.

A jet bridge is an enclosed, movable connector which extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, allowing passengers to board and exit the aircraft without being exposed to the elements.

Photo, David Allen, Patch