Warehouse worker has a lucky escape

A supermarket worker had what was described as a miraculous escape when a panel nearly three metres high and weighing 500 kilos fell on top of him at a supermarket warehouse in the Son Noguera industrial estate of Llucmajor. A spokesman for the 112 emergency service said that the accident occurred at 11.40am. Sources said that the circumstances of the accident were not too clear, but it seems that the victim, named as Roberto Pere, was shifting stock with machinery when the panel fell on top of him. When paramedics arrived he was suffering from hypothermia as the accident occurred in the cold storage department. The victim was still conscious but was unable to move.He was rushed to hospital where he was shown to have a fractured vertebra and a sprained ankle, but there had been no medulla damage to the spine. A hospital spokesman said that his condition was not serious but he will have to spend several days in hospital. The Local Police of Llucmajor are investigating the accident. The labour authorities are also investigating the cause of the accident, because of a spate of fatalities this year. Yesterday, inspectors ordered work to be stopped on a construction site in Calle Trovadors, in Las Lomas, Arenal, because the company involved had not complied with the law on the prevention of accidents at work. Sources said yesterday that the contractor was constructing a two storey building and a car park but did not have a safety plan.