FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — An electrical worker at a job site in Fayetteville died after being electrocuted at the Quality Technology Services data center.
The family of Anthony J. Riera Azuaje say he died of his injuries four days later.
Azuaje was working for Andrew Electric. Allison-Smith Company LLC, a Smyrna-based company, was also working at the site at that time, according to the family’s lawsuit.
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Azuaje’s parents, who live in Venezuela, are suing Allison-Smith for damages, placing the blame for his death on them.
According to the lawsuit, the 25-year-old died on July 2 after being burned and electrocuted at the data center site.
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The lawsuit says Azuaje “was burned and electrocuted for several minutes and ultimately died four days later in the hospital,” leaving his family behind and devastated.
Azuaje’s family say his death was “no accident,” and that while Allison-Smith was setting up temporary power in one of the data center buildings, they “installed the wrong fittings on the temporary power” and “even worse, failed to actually ground the cables when using metallic fittings in a non-metallic junction box,” which is required by the National Electric Code.
The family accuses Allison-Smith of improperly securing the fittings and having compromised cables that energized the metal conduit.
Had the work been done according to code, the family alleges “the metal conduit that otherwise would not have been energized” and Azuaje would not have been burned or electrocuted while securing nuts at a junction box, using a scissor lift between the first and second floors.
After being burned and electrocuted for about two minutes, the family’s lawsuit said he passed out and collapsed.
The lawsuit says “it took almost 15 minutes for personnel to arrive and remove” Azuaje from the scissor lift before he could be taken to a hospital for treatment.
“Doctors worked for days trying to save his life,” but he died four days later.
In the court document, the family says “this incident was entirely preventable. Allison-Smith was required to install temporary power in a safe manner that did not pose an unreasonable risk to workers. Allison-Smith failed in this endeavor.”
As a result of Azuaje’s death, the lawsuit says his family and estate is seeking damages for Azuaje’s conscious pain and suffering, as well as negligence causing his untimely death, in addition to punitive damages without a limit or cap due to the Defendant and their agents showing “an entire want of care,” raising a “presumption of conscious indifference to consequences.”
The family is also seeking damages for funeral and burial expenses, lost wages and lost earning capacity and all elements of the full value of Azuaje’s life, alleging the defendant acted in bad faith and failed to follow safety protocols or standards set by federal regulators.
“Companies that place profits over safety, cut corners on safety and ignore clear hazards to unsuspecting workers should be held accountable when their negligence claims the life of an unsuspecting, hard-working worker,” the lawsuit says. “Anthony’s family brings this lawsuit to recover damages caused by Defendant’s misconduct and to ensure this avoidable incident never occurs again. A life is more important than a company. ”
Azuaje’s family and estate are represented by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who has previously represented Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jimmy Buffet, among others.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to Allison-Smith Company for comment but have not gotten a response.
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