On Aug. 29, Angel Batista-Jesus, known also as Luis G. Reyna-Corral, died on a worksite associated with the Colorado Department of Transportation's I-70 expansion through north Denver.
A Denver Police Department spokesperson said Batista-Jesus was electrocuted while working near the intersection of East Stapleton South Drive and North Oneida Street, just west of I-70's Quebec Street exit. He died later at the hospital.
According to his obituary, Batista-Jesus, 26, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. He worked on oil and gas operations in Brighton. He "greatly enjoyed listening to music, dancing and partaking in entertaining, family outings," the obituary states. He was a father.
Batista-Jesus was working for Brand-X Hydrovac Services when he was electrocuted. A spokesperson for Xcel Energy said he was relocating infrastructure affected by the highway widening project. The utility had hired Sturgeon Electric Company for the job, and Xcel could not confirm whether Sturgeon hired Brand-X as a subcontractor. Sturgeon did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for the Kiewit Infrastructure Co., which was hired by CDOT to widen the highway, said the company does not consider the death part of its responsibility. "There have been no deaths on the Central 70 Project," the spokesperson told Denverite.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration -- or OSHA -- confirmed there is an open investigation into Brand-X and, possibly, companies associated with it. An OSHA representative said investigations are common after fatal accidents.
