In recent developments, Elon Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX, is facing a negligence lawsuit filed by Ydy Cabada, the wife of Francisco Cabada, a worker who suffered a fractured skull during a rocket engine malfunction on January 18, 2022. The incident was previously highlighted in a Reuters investigation that uncovered over 600 unreported workplace injuries at SpaceX, ranging from crushed limbs, amputations, and electrocutions to head and eye injuries, and even a fatality.
Ydy Cabada filed the lawsuit in a Los Angeles state court last week on behalf of her husband, who remains in a coma more than two years after the incident. The lawsuit, previously undisclosed, brings attention to the challenges faced by SpaceX in ensuring workplace safety.
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The accident occurred during pressure testing of a Raptor V2 engine at the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California. A fuel-controller assembly cover broke away, striking Francisco Cabada and causing a skull fracture. Former SpaceX employees, familiar with the incident, revealed that the accident exposed systemic issues within the company.
According to sources, senior managers at the Hawthorne site had been warned multiple times about the risks associated with rushing the engine’s development, insufficient staff training, and inadequate component testing. The part that failed had a known flaw, which, despite being discovered, was not addressed before the testing took place.
SpaceX has not provided comments regarding the Reuters investigation into workplace injuries or responded to specific inquiries about the Cabada case. Additionally, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which has contracted SpaceX for private space services, has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
The Raptor engines, central to SpaceX’s operations, power the Starship rocket, intended for satellite launches and human space travel. NASA plans to use the Starship for manned moon landings in the coming decade.
Marisa Taylor reported from Washington, with additional reporting by Joey Roulette. The article was edited by Matthew Lewis.