Depressed electrician, 36, who plunged 53 stories to his death from West Coast's highest skyscraper committed suicide, coroner rules

March 25, 2016

Joseph Sabbatino leaped to his death from the 53rd story of L.A.'s Wilshire Grand Center on Friday
The married 36-year-old, who was taking medication for depression, landed on the hood of a passing car below
Sabbatino was also found to have removed his helmet and had not been wearing a safety harness
A Los Angeles County Coroner has now ruled that Sabbatino's tragic death was a suicide; no note has been discovered
Motorist Donna Crockett was hysterical after he landed on her car and said it had 'really taken a toll' on her
A statement from Turner Construction says the death was not a work related incident, indication it may have been a suicide

An electrician who plunged 53 floors to his death after leaping from the West Coast's highest skyscraper committed suicide, a coroner has ruled.

Joseph Sabbatino was only on his second day on the job at the construction site of the unfinished, $1billion Wilshire Grand Center when he plummeted 800 feet onto the trunk of a car that was passing below.

Coroner's Lt. David Smith confirmed today that the 36-year-old's death was a suicide.

Sabbatino's father Vance revealed that his son had a long battle with depression and had been taking medication before his death.

His devastated wife Melken Sabbatino wrote on Facebook after his tragic death that she was 'thinking about my husband. Missing you.'

Authorities found that the married Jehovah's Witness had removed his helmet and had not been wearing a harness before the fall on Friday- as he was only contracted to work on the lower levels

Turner Construction has since released a statement to say there had been a safety barrier on the 53rd floor to prevents falls, and that the incident had not been work related. Around 1,000 employees were given the day off following Sabbatino's death.

Horrified witnesses described the moment they saw Sabbatino fall to his death and land on a car below.

James Armstrong III had been walking to a nearby bank moments after the fall said motorist Donna Crockett had been 'hysterical' and waving her hands in the air.

'It's really taken a toll on me, because right now, I'm not strong and right now I am hurting,' Crockett told KTLA. 'It was traumatic, it something that I never thought I would have to see.'

She was taken to hospital after the incident in shock.

Mel Melcon, an LA Times photographer, was on assignment at the building when he noticed the man's body lying 'off the driver's side of the car.'

'It sounded like a bag of cement fell off the edge of the building,' he said.

'No one thought it was a body,' Melcon told his paper. 'We heard no screams.'

The vehicle escaped major damage but the rear side panel was splattered with blood, officials said.

'We have confirmed with (California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health and Los Angeles police) that the incident which occurred at the Wilshire Grand project site on March 17 was not work-related,' a statement issued by Turner Construction read.

Work was shut down Friday and counselors would be on hand for employees, the statement said.

Ed Winter, assistant chief Los Angeles County Coroner, said as far as he knew, there was no suicide note.

Winter said the man, a new employee on his second day on the job, died instantly. The investigation will continue.

Chris Martin, CEO of Martin Project Management, which is supervising the construction, said there were barricades around the edge of the building and other safety measures in place.

All of the building's 891 workers had undergone training, Martin said.

'There's safety training for every worker on the job, and certain locations there's very specialized training. So these are all smart people,' Martin said. 'We had no injuries up to this date.'

When asked whether there might have been any electrical work that needed doing near the edge of the building, Martin said there wasn't.

The paper also reported that there was an eight-foot-high 'integrity fence' in place to keep workers and equipment from falling off the tower.

No tethering harness was seen on the man's body, although employees are required to wear one when working.

A construction worker who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity said that he saw the man's body, and initially thought the woman had run him over.

'We asked the driver: 'Did you run this man over?' She said no,' the worker said. 'That's when I knew he had fallen off the building.'

He added that when he returned to the building he found a hard hat with the dead man's employee number on the 53rd floor.

Maurice Lopez, who works at the neighboring Bonaventure said he was saddened to hear that someone working on the building he watched go up for years had died.

That's crazy. Usually when you walk by here, you see the guys up there attached to something,' Lopez, 50, of Los Angeles told the LA Times. 'Now I'm gonna feel sick walking by here.'

This is the first accident to happen at the location, the Times reported. There were around 850 workers on the site as of last week.

The Wilshire Grand Center is located on South Figueroa Street, at one of the busiest intersections in the city. The man's fall resulted in disruption to traffic flow.

Upon completion, the $1billion skycraper, which has been under construction for two years, will be the tallest building west of the Mississippi. It will reach a height of 73 stories and will be 1,100 feet tall, including a 100-foot spire.

It is expected to open early 2017.

Family and friends paid tribute to the 'sweet' man with a 'good heart' that was always so full of life.

Susanne Dean wrote on Facebook: 'Joseph was very sweet and made us laugh and we had some good times with him...my boys thought he was so cool to invite them over to play video games and just hang out.

'He was full of hope and life. That is the Joseph that we will remember.'

Eric Mutuc added: 'Joseph was a friend of mine when we were children. He had a good heart, and although he may not have ever known it, I loved him like a brother.

Jerron Ragan said: 'Rest in peace Joseph Sabbatino. You were always a good friend. I'll miss you.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3508352/LA-electrician-36-plunged-53-stories-death-West-Coast-s-highest-skyscraper-committed-suicide-coroner-rules.html