A former amateur boxer Wednesday sued contractors involved with the Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement project on which he worked, saying he suffered severe injuries when he came in contact with an arc from a high-voltage overhead power line.
Michael Carracela, who says he was once a sparring partner for boxer Floyd Mayweather, filed the negligence lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking unspecified damages.
The defendants include Shimmick Construction Co., FCC Construction and Parsons Brinckheroffer, as well as Genie Industries Inc. and Southern California Edison. The Gerald Desmond Bridge carries traffic between Long Beach and Terminal Island.
A Shimmick representative could not be immediately reached.
According to the lawsuit, in July 2013 Carracela was assigned to work on demolition and cleanup work at the project site and was tasked with clearing concrete pieces from a roadway that was scheduled to be re-opened for weekend traffic.
While in a Genie boom lift that was 30 feet off the ground, Carracela was hit by the electrical arc while the lift was being maneuvered by the device’s operator, according to his lawsuit.
Carracela lost part of his neck and suffered nerve damage in his left hand, along with third-degree burns to his head, face, chest and arm, according to the lawsuit. He took the job to support his then-pregnant fiancee, the suit states.
— Wire reports