SpaceX engineer injured during engine test in January
During an engine test of a Raptor engine on January 18, 2022, a SpaceX engineer suffered a fractured skull when a protective cover broke off during venting.
The final step in the pressure check operation, venting, was done for the first time using an automated program as opposed to the normal manual method that had been used in previous operations. Immediately after initiating the automated venting, the employee was struck by the fuel controller cover which broke free from the controller module. The controller cover had sheared at the vertical to horizontal beveled seam, liberating the cover face from the assembly. The employee suffered a skull fracture and head trauma and was hospitalized in a coma for months.
OSHA fined SpaceX $18,475 in July for the accident.
According to a report yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, the employee, Francisco Cabada, was placed in a coma for two months. That report however is very unclear when he was placed in a coma, or his present condition. Also unclear about his present condition is the GoFundMe site created by his wife. As the OSHA case still appears open, this suggest Cabada has not yet recovered fully.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
During an engine test of a Raptor engine on January 18, 2022, a SpaceX engineer suffered a fractured skull when a protective cover broke off during venting.
The final step in the pressure check operation, venting, was done for the first time using an automated program as opposed to the normal manual method that had been used in previous operations. Immediately after initiating the automated venting, the employee was struck by the fuel controller cover which broke free from the controller module. The controller cover had sheared at the vertical to horizontal beveled seam, liberating the cover face from the assembly. The employee suffered a skull fracture and head trauma and was hospitalized in a coma for months.
OSHA fined SpaceX $18,475 in July for the accident.
According to a report yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, the employee, Francisco Cabada, was placed in a coma for two months. That report however is very unclear when he was placed in a coma, or his present condition. Also unclear about his present condition is the GoFundMe site created by his wife. As the OSHA case still appears open, this suggest Cabada has not yet recovered fully.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Sad to hear about his injuries.
The fine looks to only cover the immediate cost of the emergency.
They are more than likely holding off final review until the final outcome of the accident is known. Will he live, die, or be permanently injured?
Automation strikes again. Leave that for burgerflipping.
Like many other businessmen-Elon views staff as a problem-not a resource.
I have no opinion on whether Musk gives Starlink use to Ukraine or not. Not our people.
This engineer IS your people, Elon…and for his wife to have to set up a Go-Fund Me says a lot about about Musk’s character, or lack thereof.
A head injury is worse than the shattered ankle from Boeing’s accident-but I say SpaceX and Boeing are neck and neck in disregard for their workers.
If it were me, I’d make sure that family never would have to work again for two generations.
But I’m not an aspie multi-billionaire business man: I’m a human being.
Jeff Wright,
You wrote: “If it were me, I’d make sure that family never would have to work again for two generations.”
I don’t think you thought that through. I would love to work for your company, because if I hurt myself then I, my wife, and my children would never have to work again, and we all would live off your corporate welfare, playing X-Box all day long. This is encouragement to be less than safe at work. Plus, it removes the natural limits of the size of my family and the sizes of my children’s families. As well as the families of all the others who hurt themselves while working for you.
Where should I send my resumé?
Cute. How do you know they don’t have a crippled child? Elon is no Mom & Pop. He needs to stand up.
I reserve judgement until more details are released. Space-X should be fully paying for his medical care, it was an on the job site accident, and I would be stunned if he was not also getting 60-80% of his paycheck in short term disability.
My guess is some wormtongue in legal has Elon’s ear…whispering “any check you give is an admission of guilt” or some other such Mephistopholian hiss.
But lack of action leaves him open to a judge out to ruin him.
I remember an alleged relative of the kid who fell off a ride he was too big for wanted the whole fair shut down-but an attempt to give the engineer’s wife a check-even if she slaps him and tears it up-would impress me were I the judge…and I would recognize a healthy SPACEX is good for Texas.
I say this with love-mind you:
Something about Elon is bad off. I hear he wants to name his next kid after a Covid variant.
This is why I still root for Old Space…in case Tony Stark goes Howard Hughes on us. Maybe get a pastor friend to be Nathan to his David-and keep legal fighting ESG fools-not hurting families.
“I hear he wants to name his next kid after a Covid variant”
Well, I’d wager a number of Greek children are named from the Greek alphabet. Maybe Musk is showing off his multi-culti chops.
Poor Jeff
How do you know insurance is not paying for everything?
How do you know Elon is not picking up the extra not covered by insurance?
As for handing over cash to the family. He HAS to wait for the state to make any final decisions. He also has to wait for the medical condition to work its way to an end. No matter what that is. If he pays a few million now and the guy makes a full recovery how is Elon going to get his cash back? Will Elon even then hire the guy back?
Jeff Wright,
You asked: “How do you know they don’t have a crippled child?”
The same way that you know that they do have a crippled child. Why should the insurance policy for a large corporation be so much different than for a small Mom & Pop? And why shouldn’t Pop need to stand up, too?
Meanwhile, you have missed the point: if you set up an incentive for people to injure themselves on the job, you should expect a lot of injuries.
Harm the rich and favor the poor is a sure way to cripple an economy and create a LOT of lazy underemployed people.
Uh huh.
How do you explain this:
https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2022/10/union-hyundai-cutting-alabama-suppliers-ties-punishes-workers-who-ended-child-labor.html
The populist wing of the GOP only found their voice after the Bush Banker Bailout. And how did corporate America reward them. We need a third party.
Kudos to Mr. Z for reporting this story that Space News hasn’t even touched.