Worker falls to his death as scaffold breaks

MANILA, Philippines—A construction worker died when he fell from a 25-foot-high scaffold, part of which collapsed while he and another worker were painting a covered court at a private school in Quezon City on Friday afternoon.

The victim, Ace Arnold Senita, 20, tried to hang on for dear life but crashed down on the pavement, still clutching one of the structure’s bars, police said.

Police Officer 3 Joseph Madrid of the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit said Senita suffered injuries in the head and neck.

Senita was working with another worker, identified only as July, at the Grace Christian College in the village of Apolonio Samson when the accident happened. The two were painting a section of the newly constructed covered court and were standing on the scaffold some 25 feet above ground when it gave way.

Madrid said the scaffolding’s upper and lower portions got misaligned, causing the two workers to lose their balance.

“July managed to hang on while Senita was still holding the H-frame of the scaffolding until he plummeted to the ground below,” Madrid said.

The victim hit his head on the ground and was immediately rushed to the MCU Hospital but was declared dead on arrival at 3:20 p.m. by Dr. Joselito –Julie M. Aurelio, Philippine Daily Inquirer