Horner investigates
employee’s fatal fall
Governor wants contract review,
N.M. OHSB to probe accident
A man, who refused to be identified, hugs Leonard Yazzie after a coworker with A.S. Horner Construction, Benny Duboise, 31, of Manuelito, fell nearly 30 feet from the interstate bridge on Second Street. Duboise later died of his injuries. [photo by Brian Leddy / Independent]

By Leslie Wood
Staff writer

GALLUP — The A.S. Horner Construction site on the Interstate Highway 40 Second Street bridge has been temporarily shut down while the company investigates the fall that killed one of its employees.

Manuelito resident Bennie Duboise, 31, fell to his death Wednesday while stationed on top of the Second Street bridge along Interstate 40.

Duboise was taken by ambulance to Gallup Indian Medical Center for treatment of critical injuries at about 6:40 p.m. He died at the hospital minutes after 7 p.m.

Lt. Rick White, a spokesman for the Gallup Police Department, said the investigation into the fall is ongoing, but Duboise was in the company of A.S. Horner co-workers when he fell 20-plus feet onto the concrete roadway on north Second Street.

White explained detectives’ investigation revealed that at least five of the crewman, including Duboise and foreman Leonard Yazzie, were drinking alcohol prior to the fall.
The crew was prepared to leave for the day when Duboise was walking along a metal beam and fell. He was not wearing protective gear.

Jay Myers, safety director for A.S. Horner Construction, said the site will be shut down for at least the remainder of the week while the company conducts its own investigation into the fall. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also conducting a separate inquiry.

“We’re very saddened by the loss of Bennie,” Myers said Thursday afternoon. “ ... We’re going to do whatever we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

He said the fall occurred after work hours and the employees who were drinking were not on the clock.

White said the foreman, Yazzie, was arrested Wednesday evening on drunken driving charges as he drove from the construction site unaware of his co-worker’s fatal fall.

Officers reported that Yazzie was driving in an erratic manner and has been arrested for DWI on repeated occasions. According to jail records, Wednesday’s arrest marks Yazzie’s sixth alcohol-related arrest.

Gov. Bill Richardson has asked the Department of Transportation to review all contracts and explore appropriate action, including termination, with A.S. Horner Construction.

“With all we’ve done to combat drunk driving and alcohol abuse in this state, this behavior is unacceptable,” Gov. Richardson said in a news release. “I want to be sure that the contractor is held accountable.”

In addition, the New Mexico Environment Department is taking action.

“The New Mexico Environment Department's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau will review the case thoroughly to determine what caused the death,” said New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ron Curry in the same release.

The construction crew was assigned to work on the Interstate 40 bridge on north Second Street when the incident occurred. Many of the crew members specialize in welding.

White said officers recovered bottles of alcohol at the scene.