Federal officials are investigating after a man died while working on a Mississippi middle school roofing project.
On Friday, authorities say Eduardo Cruz Moran was killed after he fell through the gymnasium roof at Crystal Springs Middle School.
Moran, 31, was working for a private company brought on to repair or replace the facility’s roof.
No students were present at the time of the incident. Students and faculty had already been let out for Christmas break.
“We had gotten out of school about 1:45 that day. That was an early day for us,” Cpt. Gerome LeFlore said. “We’re grateful no kids or staff were here when it occurred.”
LeFlore is the director of safety for the Copiah County School District.
He confirmed to WLBT that officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were investigating the matter and had already spoken with company representatives.
“They came down. They had some interviews with the company that I wasn’t a part of... They did look at the scene. They took some photographs,” he said. “We’re waiting on their report.”
LeFlore wouldn’t provide the name of the company. He said the firm is from out of state and that it was chosen through the bidding process.
“These were contractors. They don’t work for Copiah County Schools. They were doing work for Copiah County Schools, but they don’t necessarily work for Copiah County,” he said.
Deputy Copiah County Coroner Judy Evans said Moran was living with family in Irving, Texas when he came to Mississippi to help with the project. His family there was notified on Friday. Moran’s parents still live in Mexico, Evans said.
LeFlore confirmed Moran was not an American citizen but did not know if he was able to work in the United States.
Meanwhile, he said the district did not oversee day-to-day operations at the construction site, and that an engineer also was not in place to oversee the work.
“Once the job is contracted out, the district doesn’t play a part in that,” he said. “The contractor that’s coming in, the only thing they have to do with the Copiah County Schools is they’re doing the work.”
LeFlore said OSHA had given some recommendations to the company, and that it was putting those recommendations in place.
Crews were continuing work on the roof Monday when WLBT was at the scene. One worker appeared to put on a safety harness after we arrived.
The repairs are expected to be completed before students and faculty return to school in January. Counselors will be on staff to answer any questions students might have about the incident.
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