Company owner denies responsibility for worker deaths
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The trial of a construction company involved in the deaths of three Austin workers continues.
Three men working on the 21 Rio Condo construction project fell to their deaths in 2009 when the scaffolding beneath them collapsed.
The president of the company that made the scaffolding took the stand Thursday.
The president and owner of American Mast Climbers, William Mims, told the judge that the 21 Rio deaths were preceded by two other accidents that happened on his watch.
The first one was in 1999, when a worker fell to his death from 240 feet in the air. The second was when machinery ripped apart on a project's second floor. Workers then sustained minor injuries.
Mims said OSHA did not find his company to be at fault for those incidents.
However, open records show a federal fine of $87 thousand for safety violations stemming from the 21 Rio case have been unpaid, pending appeal.
Mims, who denied comment to the media, told the judge that contrary to those OSHA findings, the machinery used on the 21 Rio project was soundly constructed. He said the scaffolding collapsed when too many unauthorized workers stepped on.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday morning, and after that it will be up to the judge to make a decision.