House painter killed in fall from balcony

A worker named as Santiago Bellota Sedano, aged 54, died yesterday after falling from a balcony while painting a façade in Avenida del Cid, Son Ferriol. The accident occurred shortly before 7am. The victim was not a professional house painter, but occasionally did the odd job to earn extra cash. He was a waiter and had worked in the same hotel in Can Pastilla for 14 years. He had been contracted to paint the building by the owner. When the accident occurred, he was painting the upper part of the façade. A neighbour said that he had not used a ladder or scaffolding, but had used the railing of the terrace to reach the upper part. Although there are no eyewitnesses, it is believed that he lost his balance and fell approximately five metres to his death. An autopsy revealed that the fall broke his ribs and a bone cut through the aorta. The cause of death was a haemorrhage. He leaves a widow and two children, aged 14 and 20. The accident came one day after another fatal accident at work in Ibiza, when a worker fell from a scaffolding. And a builder was seriously injured yesterday when he fell from a second floor scaffolding on a farm between Campos and Colonia de Sant Jordi.