May 31 accident left one dead

OTHELLO - Avista Utilities confirmed Thursday morning their plans to pay all fines associated with an accident at an Othello elementary school May 31.

An Othello man, who was also an Avista employee, fell to his death while helping conduct an annual science experiment, where students design devices to protect an egg when dropped from an extended boom-truck lift at Hiawatha Elementary school.

Avista Utilities employee Robert (Bob) D. Smith died from head injuries and school teacher Melissa Martinez was treated for broken vertebras after being thrown from the boom-truck lift when the base of the bucket-arm broke away from the truck.

The accident took place before an audience of school children and their parents.

Avista Utilities indicated there will be no appeal to the state Department of Labor and Industries. Communication Manager Jessie Wuerst said they plan to pay all three fines totaling more than $17,600.

The fines included failure to ensure training, failure to ensure proper pre-start checks and failure to ensure the employee wore proper equipment in case of a fall from the bucket, according to the citation document.

Othello School District received two fines for $6,300 for failing to provide training concerning hazards and safety requirements for working in a the boom-truck, according to state records.

Othello School District Superintendent George Juarez said the district is still reviewing the citations and researching the proper course of action and expect to make a decision next week.

Wuerst said their employee, Smith, was fully trained and did conduct proper pre-start checks of the equipment. She said the citation is due to failing to document the training and the pre-start checks.

"Immediately after the accident, we put into place a documentation process to make sure it's consistent and documented," Wuerst said.

She said Avista is spearheading the investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

It was previously reported faulty bolts may have been the cause of the arm becoming detached from the boom-truck. Several bolts, near where the device was connected to the truck, were reportedly missing or broken.