Man of the People
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- Jul 14, 2004
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An Update to the original article in the Miami Herald:
An American Airlines employee fell to his death in the predawn hours Tuesday while working on a lift at Miami International Airport.
Thomas Jukovich, a 43-year-old customer service manager, was working outside on a lift at Gate E-10, according to airport officials.
Hard rain and thunder persisted throughout the night as he worked outside. Airport employees said the Hallandale Beach man supervised several gates, including one that was assigned to American Airlines Flight 995.
The red-eye flight to Sao Paolo, Brazil, was to leave at 11:30 p.m., but it was delayed. The plane was still on the rain drenched tarmac two hours later when the manager jumped onto a baggage loader, employees said.
For yet-unknown reasons, about 1:50 a.m. Jukovich fell from the lift, which can go as high as 25 to 30 feet. He suffered fatal injuries, according to Miami-Dade fire rescue spokesman Lt. Eddy Ballester.
I feel sorry to hear of yet another death in the workplace. It appears, according to the article, there was inclimate weather involved. I am curious if this manager's shoes were appropriate for the type of work he was doing. Most managers wear penny loafers, or some similar type of shoe that is not cooperative with the tarmac or poor weather conditions. I have seen employees sent home for not wearing "sturdy" shoes. Can someone with some insight shed some light on this.
Perhaps, if that contributed to his death, it could prevent any future accidents.