Utilities Employee Injured

06/21/2012 | Dave Nash, Public Affairs Coordinator

Nearby Cactus Fell During Leak Repair

An employee of the City of Yuma's Utilities department remains under intensive care after being seriously injured while responding to an emergency water leak two days earlier.

Following a brief mention of the injured worker during Wednesday evening's meeting of the Yuma City Council, City officials today confirmed that William Mason, a water distribution technician, was injured in the early morning hours Tuesday while working with a Utilities crew responding to an emergency water leak in the Del Oro Estates subdivision.

A 16-foot saguaro from a nearby property struck and then pinned Mason while he was working, resulting in multiple injuries, particularly to his back and legs. Other members of the crew were able to free him and call 911. He was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he remained on Thursday.

The cause of the cactus fall remains under investigation.

The largest cactus in the United States, saguaros weigh between 3,200 pounds and 4,800 pounds despite having roots that are generally only 4-6 inches deep, anchored by a larger, single tap root.