The Region : Charges Filed in Construction Accident

Criminal charges were filed against an Altadena construction firm and two employees in connection with an October, 1985, downtown Los Angeles building site accident that left one worker dead and another seriously injured. Charged in the complaint filed by the city attorney’s office are Charles Pankow Builders; field superintendent Bill James Hughs, 30, of Lakewood, and forklift operator’s foreman James Campbell Crane, 41, of La Mirada. The defendants were charged with four violations of the state Labor Code involving failure to use safety devices. They are scheduled to be arraigned July 10 in Los Angeles Municipal Court and, if convicted, face maximum penalties of a $1,000 fine and one year in jail. Killed in the accident at 801 S. Grand Ave. was carpenter Arthur R. Romero, 36, of Pomona, who was crushed beneath a massive concrete beam allegedly dislodged by a moving fork-lift, authorities said. Carpenter Felipe Tijerina, 22, of Los Angeles, was seriously injured.