SpaceX Engineer Knocked Into Coma While Testing Rocket Part: Report

HAWTHORNE, CA —A SpaceX engineer was knocked into a months-long coma after suffering a skull fracture and head trauma while testing a rocket part in January at the company's Hawthorne facility, according to Business Insider.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration the man, Francisco Cabada a father of three from Los Angeles, was performing checks on a Raptor V2 engine on Jan. 18 when he suffered a head injury.

Former SpaceX intern Julia CrowleyFarenga told Insider that a highly-pressurized valve blew off a plate from the engine and hit Cabada, knocking him to the ground. The OSHA accident investigation summary stated that Cabada was using an automated program to check as opposed to the normal manual method used previously.

Cabada's brother-in-law said Cabada was now out of a coma, but he is unable to communicate or survive without medical help so he is still in the hospital. Cabada's sister-in-law started a GoFundMe page since the incident, saying his wife and children have struggled financially because he was the "primary breadwinner."

OSHA fined SpaceX more than $18,400 for two safety violations in relation to the accident in January.

Read more at Business Insider: A SpaceX engineer suffered a fractured skull during a routine rocket test in January and was placed in a coma