Water worker in El Paso died from toxic sewage fumes, possibly drowned
An El Paso Water employee has died from the toxic effects of hydrogen sulfide or sewer gases and may have drowned, according to an autopsy conducted by an El Paso County medical examiner.
Jordan Haynesworth, 34, died April 26 and was recovered from the bottom of a septic tank by an El Paso Fire Department rescue team. Rescuers’ attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, according to an autopsy report obtained by The El Paso Times upon request.
Haynesworth had expressed concerns to his mother, Allison Haynesworth, about safety protocols that he wanted to correct at the plant.
She and her lawyers have so far been unable to obtain information from El Paso Water officials about the cause of her son’s death, she said.
A co-worker at the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Lower Valley found Haynesworth unconscious after being out of contact with him for several minutes, according to the autopsy report and an El Paso Police Department dispatch report.
According to the initial police report, Haynesworth was wearing a white Tyvek (polyethylene or plastic-like) protective coverall over his blue jeans and blue uniform shirt. He also wore a yellow safety vest, purple gloves, safety glasses and black boots.
El Paso police no longer investigate
El Paso police are no longer investigating the death because the medical examiner has ruled it an accident, a police department spokesman said.
The police’s initial incident report indicates that the officer in charge did not see any signs of a crime.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is not investigating the death because it does not have jurisdiction over government employees.
El Paso Water’s investigation is ongoing, said Denise Parra, a spokeswoman for the utility.
El Paso Water officials declined to comment further because of potential litigation related to Haynesworth’s death at work, she said.
Toxic fumes, possible drowning leads to death
Dr. Adam Gonzalez, deputy county coroner, wrote in the autopsy report: “In my opinion, the cause of death is the toxic effects of hydrogen sulfide (sewer gas) with possible drowning. The cause of death was accidental.”
According to an OSHA report, hydrogen sulfide is one of the leading causes of workplace gas inhalation deaths in the United States.
Haynesworth had recently been promoted to senior engineer at the Bustamante power plant, officials with the city’s power company said, and had worked for the utility for nearly four years.
“He was very excited” about his promotion and he loved his job, Allison Haynesworth, who lives in South Carolina, said in a recent phone interview.
Safety concerns frustrated son, says mother
“And at the same time, he was a little frustrated” because he was concerned that some safety protocols were not being followed, she said.
“He just told me that sometimes it was frustrating because they just didn’t listen to some of his suggestions and complaints,” Allison Haynesworth said.
Through his promotion, he has gained a stronger leadership role that he wants to use to bring about change, she said.
“I just want answers, and they don’t give answers as to what happened to my son,” said Allison Haynesworth.
The mother is considering filing a lawsuit or other legal action against El Paso Water over her son’s death, said Aaron Dekle, a Dallas-area attorney who is representing her.
More deaths at the Bustamante plant
Haynesworth is not the first worker to die at the Bustamante plant.
Two men who worked for a water delivery company in El Paso died in 2014 after becoming trapped in a room flooded with mud, according to El Paso Times archives.
The company, Cubic Water LLC, was fined $18,000 by OSHA for serious safety violations related to the deaths, according to an archived El Paso Times report. OSHA investigated those deaths because the workers were employed by a private company, not El Paso Water like Haynesworth.
Jordan Haynesworth had marriage plans
Haynesworth planned to propose to Jeniese Long, a physical education teacher and volleyball coach at Pebble Hills High School, in June, his mother said. They had a son together. The boy is now six months old.
A GoFundMe account set up by a Pebble Hills teacher to help pay expenses for Long and the son she has with Haynesworth has now raised nearly $7,000.
A native of Sumter, South Carolina, Haynesworth moved to El Paso in 2016-2017 when his mother moved here to take a contractor job at Fort Bliss. She now lives in South Carolina and is a flight attendant.
He was one credit away from earning a degree in mechanical engineering from South Carolina State, his mother said. He wanted to graduate from UTEP, she said.
Haynesworth’s reported weight raises questions
Haynesworth always had trouble maintaining his weight at 6 feet tall, his mother said, so it was surprising to see her son described in the autopsy report as overweight at 200 pounds, she said.
“The last time I talked to him about his weight in March, he was about 160 pounds and said his goal was to get to 180 pounds. He was trying to gain more weight,” Allison Haynesworth said. “That was something he struggled with and one of his insecurities was his weight because he was always so skinny.”
She said she doubted he weighed 90 kilograms when he died.
Vic Kolenc can be reached at 915-546-6421; [email protected]; @vickolenc on twitternow known as X.
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