LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Family members of a 39-year-old man who was killed during a construction-related accident at Los Angeles International Airport in May filed a legal claim today against the city and the Department of Airports.
The claimants are the widow, children and mother of Juan Barajas of Bloomington, who was working on the Automated People Mover project, according to the claim, which seeks unspecified damages.
A representative for the City Attorney's Office could not be immediately reached for comment on the claim, which is often a forerunner of a lawsuit.
Barajas was working on a mesh of steel wires known in construction as “rebar'' when it collapsed about 5:55 a.m. May 9, crushing Barajas to death, according to his family's claim.
The rebar structure was not designed, constructed or installed properly, creating a “dangerous and unsafe condition that was capable of causing serious injury or death,'' the claim alleges.
The airport's massive Automated People Mover project broke ground last year and is slated to be completed in 2023. It involves an electric train system on a 2.25-mile elevated guideway with six stations.
Work on the project was suspended for two days following Barajas' death, airport officials said.
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