A negligence lawsuit has been filed against SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, by the wife of a worker named Francisco Cabada. Cabada suffered a skull fracture during a rocket engine malfunction on January 18, 2022, an incident previously highlighted in a Reuters investigation last year. The comprehensive investigation revealed over 600 previously undisclosed workplace injuries at SpaceX, including crushed limbs, amputations, electrocutions, head and eye injuries, and one fatality.
Ydy Cabada, the wife of the injured worker, initiated the lawsuit in a Los Angeles state court last week, seeking justice for her husband who remains in a coma more than two years after the incident. This legal action has not been previously brought to public attention.
The incident occurred during a pressure test at the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, where a part of the Raptor V2 engine, a fuel-controller assembly cover, detached and struck Francisco Cabada's head, resulting in a skull fracture. Sources familiar with the accident, identified as former SpaceX employees, have alleged that the incident exposes systemic issues within SpaceX.
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According to these sources, senior managers at the Hawthorne site were allegedly repeatedly warned about the risks associated with expediting the engine's development, coupled with insufficient training for staff and inadequate testing of components. It has been claimed that the part responsible for the injury had a known flaw that was not addressed before testing.
Despite these allegations, SpaceX has not provided any comments regarding the lawsuit or the findings of the Reuters investigation into workplace injuries. Additionally, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which has contracted SpaceX for private space services amounting to $11.8 billion, has not issued an immediate response to the lawsuit.
SpaceX's Raptor engines play a crucial role in powering the Starship, the company's advanced rocket designed for satellite and human space travel. NASA has plans to utilize the Starship for lunar landings in the coming decade.