- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Geysers crash claims life of local man
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A south county man died when his work truck went off an embankment at The Geysers geothermal steamfield just inside the Sonoma County line on Thursday.
Eugene “Corky” Bracisco, 57, an operating specialist with Calpine, was confirmed as the crash victim, according to Norma Dunn, Calpine's vice president of corporate communications.
“The cause of death is not known at this time, and we are working closely with local authorities to investigate the incident,” Dunn said in an e-mail message to Lake County News. “We do not comment further on matters under investigation.”
California Highway Patrol incident reports said the single-vehicle collision occurred in Sonoma County, in the area of Burned Mountain at Big Sulpher Creek, while Bracisco was driving a work truck. An exact time of the crash was not given, but reports indicate it happened sometime on Thursday.
When contacted for additional information, the Santa Rosa CHP office referred questions to Cal OSHA, which the agency said is handling the investigation because it happened on private property.
Cal OSHA spokesperson Patricia Ortiz told Lake County News late Friday afternoon that the report on the crash came into the agency's Santa Rosa district office at approximately 8:47 a.m. Friday. The report was submitted by the human resources director at The Geysers.
“Our inspectors are out and Cal OHSA has opened an investigation,” Ortiz said.
The CHP reported that conditions in the area were foggy on Friday morning. Two tow trucks were needed to pull Bracisco's truck up the embankment where it left the roadway. The CHP report said the vehicle was 200 feet down an embankment.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies were dispatched to Calpine on Socrates Mine Road in Middletown at 1:45 a.m. Friday after Bracisco's wife reported him missing.
Bracisco's wife said he had left for work at 5:30 a.m. Thursday and when he hadn't returned by 11 p.m. she called Calpine, according to the sheriff's office's Friday afternoon report.
Calpine officials told the woman that Bracisco had missed a 3 p.m. meeting on Thursday, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office said that when deputies arrived at Calpine, they met with the lead operator, who confirmed that Bracisco's personal vehicle was still at the site, but his work truck was missing.
The lead operator said Calpine had notified the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as the Calpine property straddled the Lake and Sonoma County lines, and that he had 10 Calpine employees already out searching, the sheriff's report noted.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office informed a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy involved in the investigation that they believed the Calpine employee was somewhere in Lake County. The Lake County Sheriff's office said another of its deputies immediately was dispatched to the area to assist in the search.
Sonoma County was waiting for the fog to lift, so they could commence a helicopter fly over to aid in the search, the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported.
The search eventually located Bracisco's work truck, which had slipped down into a ravine on Calpine property just over the Sonoma County line. The Lake County Sheriff's report said Bracisco had died by the time he was found.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s office is handling the coroner’s investigation. A message left for Sonoma County Sheriff's officials was not immediately returned.
Ortiz said Cal OSHA investigations can take up to six months, but typically last three to four months, she said.
Cal OSHA was involved because the fatal collision occurred on Calpine's private property. “Had it been a public road we wouldn't be involved,” Ortiz said.
Dunn said Calpine was offering its sincere sympathies and condolences to Bracisco’s family. “We are working to assist the family through this very difficult time.”
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