Los Angeles coroner rules skyscraper plunge was suicide
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled suicide in the death of an electrician who fell 53 stories at the Wilshire Grand Center skyscraper construction site last week.
Joseph Sabbatino, 36, of Palmdale, was working his second day at the site when he plunged about 800 feet and landed on the back of a car at a busy intersection. The driver was not hurt.
The car he struck appeared to be undamaged, but a rear side panel was splattered with blood, officials said.
James Armstrong III was walking to a nearby bank just after the fall when he saw police helping the driver.
"She was hysterical," waving her hands in the air and holding her head, he said. But she did not seem to be hurt, Armstrong said.
The woman was taken to a hospital to be examined, fire officials said.
The 53rd level had a barricade to prevent falls, and the company quickly issued a statement saying the incident was not work related.
Turner Construction told CBS Los Angeles Sabbatino had no reason to be anywhere above the first three floors of the building.
Coroner's Lt. David Smith confirmed Thursday that the March 17 death was a suicide.
Sabbatino's father told KABC-TV that his son struggled with depression and had been prescribed medication.
The builder gave nearly 1,000 workers a day off after the incident.
It was the first major incident in three years of work on the downtown tower, which will top out at 73 stories or about 1,100 feet, making it the tallest building on the West Coast.
The $1 billion office and hotel tower is expected to open in early 2017, CBS Los Angeles reported.