UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Abstract: At approximately 4:30 p.m. on July 21, 2005, an employee, a laborer, was sorting tomatoes and vine debris from the conveyor on the harvester machine. A coworker, while driving the tractor trailer that collected tomatoes from the conveyor of the harvester machine, observed that the employee was holding on to the railing of the harvester machine. When the harvester machine run was completed, the coworker went over to the employee, who was on the railing, and observed that the employee's eyes were closed, and his body was trembling and shaking. The employee was taken down to the mechanic's air conditioned truck cab by two other coworkers, where his condition did not improve. An ambulance was called, and paramedics evaluated and stabilized the employee. The employee was transported by helicopter to the Kern Medical Center. The employee was released from Kern Medical Hospital on July 25, 2005. In the employee's residential home on July 26, 2005 his uncle observed that the employee became seriously ill and the uncle called the paramedics. The employee was then taken by ambulance to Delano Hospital where he fell into a coma and was pronounced dead on July 31, 2005.