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The family of a Tesla worker, Victor Joe Gomez Sr., filed a wrongful death lawsuit last week against Tesla and two other corporations in an Austin, Texas court. On August 1, Gomez was “immediately electrocuted” and knocked unconscious at the electric vehicle company’s Gigafactory while inspecting an electrical panel. The shock sent him into cardiac arrest, and he was transported to Dell Seaton Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The family is seeking over $1 million in damages.

Gomez was not a full-time Tesla employee, but a licensed journeyman electrician from Tesla contractor Belcan Services Group. The family is also suing Colorado River Project, LLC, which owns the land that the plant sits on.

They allege Gomez’ death was due to negligence on the part of the three corporations named in the suit. According to court filings, the defendants have not responded to the family’s request to inspect the scene where Gomez was electrocuted, effectively preventing them from gathering evidence. The family has asked that the scene be preserved, and that all attempts to alter, salvage, sell or destroy evidence be prevented through a temporary restraining order while evidence is gathered.

OSHA previously announced an investigation but will not release any more information until its inquiry is complete.

Tesla’s massive Gigafactory, designed to employ as many as 20,000 people, is one of the most dangerous workplaces in the country. Over 1,000 injuries were recorded in 2023 alone, and two deaths have taken place so far this year. One of the few workplaces with more injuries is another Tesla factory in Fremont, California.

Another Belcan contractor, 57-year old Antelmo Ramirez, died in 2021 during the plant’s construction from excessive heat on a 96 degree day.

In the US as a whole, 5,486 workers lost their lives in 2023—15 deaths per day. In 2022, 2.8 million injury and illness cases were reported by private sector employers. Temporary and contract workers are particularly abused, experiencing higher rates of injuries compared to permanent workers.

A co-worker who knew Gomez and worked side by side with him told the WSWS, “Victor Gomez was a very hard worker and always seemed to want to make sure his job was done correctly and on time.”

The co-worker confirmed that the company made no announcements even to plant workers after Gomez’ death. The workers at the plant feel unsafe, he says, and there have been no safety changes since the death.

“I would say that [Tesla should be] simply not pushing people as hard and not making them hurry,” he added. That would be “enough to make workers more aware and also allow them to properly do their jobs, including testing equipment. Most workers are usually always forced to do work ‘ASAP.’”

The co-worker also said that lockout-tagout (LOTO), a basic safety procedure in any workplace dealing with heavy machinery, is loosely enforced. They should “enforce LOTO more and actually have a crew or a system to verify that LOTO is being properly done,” he said.

According to the worker, Tesla does not enforce LOTO for inspections like the one that Gomez was carrying out. This means that there are no checks to ensure that equipment is de-energized, creating situations where stored-up energy can be released unexpectedly. The panel Gomez was inspecting should have been de-energized beforehand, meaning a strictly LOTO policy could have prevented the entire incident. The same worker said, “LOTO is usually required to be used by contractors but it is rarely verified by Tesla employees.”

“There were multiple injuries through my time there. A lot of the time it seemed they were caused by people not being fully aware of their surroundings while trying to quickly do their jobs.”

Gomez was told to inspect the panel “ASAP” by management, which may also have contributed to his death.

The co-worker described grueling conditions in the plant. “I was almost forced to work endless hours—90-plus hours weekly—in order to meet their deadlines, and was expected back to work early morning every day for daily meetings and inspections.”

“I really would hope something changes in that environment, as it already had to cost the life of a great man.”

AUSTIN, Texas – Austin Pride is in full swing. 

The Austin Pride Festival began at 11 a.m. and runs through 7 p.m. Saturday at Fiesta Gardens in East Austin.

The Austin Pride Parade will kick off at 8 p.m., starting from the Texas State Capitol before making its way south on Congress Avenue through downtown, and across the Ann Richards Bridge.

The parade features local businesses, floats, performers, bands and more. It runs until around 11 p.m.

Several streets will be shut down before and during the parade—including Congress Avenue and parts of 11th and San Jacinto streets. 

The following streets will be fully closed:

• San Jacinto Street from 11th to 15th streets: 1 p.m. to midnight
• 14th Street from San Jacinto to Trinity: 1 p.m. to midnight
• 13th Street from San Jacinto to Trinity: 1 p.m. to midnight
• 12th Street from San Jacinto to Trinity: 1 p.m. to midnight
• 11th Street from Colorado to San Jacinto: 5 p.m. to midnight
• Congress Avenue from Barton Springs Road to 11th Street: 5 p.m to midnight
• 4th Street from Lavaca to Congress: 5 p.m. to midnight

Only the westbound lanes of 11th Street from San Jacinto to Trinity will be closed from 5 p.m. to midnight.

The Congress Avenue closure does include the Congress Avenue Bridge.

For more information, including alternative routes and transportation options, click here.

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin’s 2024 Pride Parade was held Saturday; event organizers say over 200,000 were in attendance.

This year, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, led the parade as grand marshal.

“Austin and Travis County have this reputation for being an excepting place,” said Judge Brown.

Alongside Judge Brown were other city leaders like Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, “It’s wonderful– I love the joy of everyone being out here,” he said.

Austin ISD Superintendent Mattias Segura was in the parade, CBS Austin asked him, “What do you think this says about the school district supporting diversity?”

Segura replied, “I think it aligns with our values, that’s who we are. You can’t just talk about it, you gotta be about it.”

But this year’s Pride Parade was met with controversy– another organization holding a counter event.

“It’s all about freedom of being who you are and if people don’t want to be here, that’s okay too,” said Brown.

One group that opted out of the Pride Parade was the Austin for Palestine Coalition.

The group alleged Austin Pride discriminated against them during a meeting last month– singling them out for an organization that might use anti-Jewish rhetoric.

“That really made me angry because one thing I don’t tolerate is lying,” said Austin for Palestine Coalition member, Daniela Silva.

The Austin for Palestine Coalition said they have always denounced Jewish hate speech, and continued with their counter event, despite Austin Pride issuing an apology to the group.

“We’re mainly here for visibility– to show that we support a queer people, we support the LGBTQIA community, and we’re pro-Palestinian,” said Silva.

The Austin Police Department told CBS Austin they had extra officers available Saturday to respond to any issues that might have come during either/both of the events.

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