Man, 28, Falls to Death While Working on Tank

IRVINE —  A 28-year-old construction worker fell to his death Saturday morning as he removed concrete framing from around a new water tank installed as part of an Irvine Ranch Water District project, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said.

The accident occurred shortly after 8 a.m. on county-owned land about two miles northeast from where Culver Drive ends, near the Northwood section of Irvine, Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Fred Lisanti said.

The victim was identified by the Orange County coroner’s office as Robert Frank Gullet of Rancho Santa Margarita.

“He was working on an approximately 27-foot-high water tank, and he unhooked his safety harness to negotiate around a beam when he was witnessed to have slipped and fallen,” said Rick McAnally, supervising deputy coroner.

An autopsy was to be conducted Sunday but, McAnally said, Gullet suffered “obvious head injuries.” He died at the scene.

Gullet worked for Gateway Pacific Contractors of Sacramento and was part of a five-person crew taking apart the framework, Lisanti said.

Cal-OSHA was investigating, Lisanti said.