Mississippi Power worker apparently falls from bucket truck, dies.
Published in: The Sun Herald
Date: 11/9/2004
By: Kate Magandy
Nov. 9–BILOXI, Miss. — A veteran worker with Mississippi Power died Monday morning after an apparent accident on site.
Lawrence “Larry” Gomila III, 46, was found on the sidewalk on Porter Avenue near his bucket truck about 9:57 a.m. Officials said he was working in the bucket, about 20 feet up, before the accident.
A fellow employee found Gomila unconscious and called Biloxi police for assistance. He was taken by ambulance to Biloxi Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:33 a.m.
Gomila, a Biloxi resident, had been with the company for 24 years. He began his career in 1980 as a line crew helper and had worked his way up to his present position.
An autopsy performed by Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove showed that Gomila died of head and upper back injuries. Gomila had been working in his bucket truck when he apparently fell out of the bucket onto the sidewalk, Hargrove said. The death is under investigation by the coroner’s office, Biloxi Police Department, OSHA and the Mississippi Power Safety Department.
“All of us are greatly saddened by this tragedy,” said Anthony Topazi, Mississippi Power president and CEO. “On behalf of all employees, I extend our sympathy to Larry’s family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
Mississippi Power, a Southern Company, serves more than 193,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties.
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