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Pohl and Shetley were hanging up a banner at the Mission Viejo High School football stadium when they were eletrocuted. Thomas Blythe, the company’s President and the Vice President of the school’s booster club, was on site and had directed the two employees to hang the banner. Pohl was standing on scaffolding with electrical lines two feet overhead when he was electrocuted by the 12,000 volt line; he died instantly. Shetley climbed up to assist Pohl, which resulted in him being electrocuted also. He was thrown from the scaffolding and sustained serious injuries for which he spent two weeks in the hospital. Neither Pohl nor Shetley were trained. Both employees had only worked for the company for about three weeks. Timothy Gordon, the safety manager, is alleged to have failed to inspect the site for safety hazards before the scaffolding was erected, and John Alberts, the crew supervisor, is alleged to have failed to check the clearance between the scaffold and high voltage line (which is supposed to be six feet per Cal/OSHA regulations).
Unavailable
Electrocution
Orange
California
July 17, 2014
Unavailable
| First | Last | Age | Title | Employer | Injury Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel | Pohl | 23 | Unavailable | Five Star Plastering | Fatality |
| Joshua | Shetley | 23 | Unavailable | Five Star Plastering | Injury |
| Name | Type | Title | Plea Information | Conviction Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Aaron Blythe | Individual | President, Five Star Plastering | Pleaded "no contest" to misdemeanor charges of will violation causing death and injury | Sentenced to 100 hours of community service and probation. |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
Other Crimes Charged
Labor Code violation causing death to an employee (2 counts) (Cal. Lab. Code Sec. 6425) |
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| John Lawrence Alberts | Individual | Crew Supervisor | Pleaded "no contest" to misdemeanor charges of will violation causing death and injury | Ordered to perform 240 hours of community service. |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
Other Crimes Charged
Labor Code violation causing death to an employee (2 counts) (Cal. Lab. Code Sec. 6425) |
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| Five Star Plastering | Entity | Entity | Pleaded "no contest" to misdemeanor charges of will violation causing death and injury | Placed on 42 months of probation. |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
Other Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
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| Timothy Scott Gordon | Individual | Safety Manager, Five Star Plastering | Pleaded "no contest" to misdemeanor charges of will violation causing death and injury | Sentenced to 100 hours of community service. |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
Other Crimes Charged
Labor Code violation causing death to an employee (2 counts) (Cal. Lab. Code Sec. 6425) |
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