The Washington County coroner’s office has released the name of a construction worker who is suspected of dying from overheating while working on the University of Arkansas’ future Football Operations Center.
David Lopez, 39, was an employee of Symmetry Turf Installations in Mount Pleasant, Texas. According to Moore’s Funeral Chapel in Fayetteville, Lopez shared an address in Beaverton, Ore., with his sister.
The funeral home arranged for the transportation of Lopez’s body for burial in Etzatlan, Mexico, a Moore’s representative said Thursday.
Lopez died Monday night at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, a day after he was rushed to the hospital by his coworkers. He was operating a forklift Sunday morning that carried artificial turf for installation on a football practice field.
The temperature reached 90 at noon in Fayetteville and peaked at 96, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has started an investigation of Symmetry Turf Installations regarding the circumstances of the death, a spokesman for the federal agency said.
Jason W. Bell, co-owner of Symmetry Turf Installations, declined comment on Thursday, citing the OSHA investigation.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 12 on 06/29/2012