Illegal immigrant loses his arm in Gandia bakery accident

Illegal immigrant loses his arm in Gandia bakery accident
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By m.p. - Jun 10, 2009 - 3:54 PM
The limb was too badly damaged to be reattached after his employers threw it out with the rubbish

The bakery worker who lost his left arm in an accident at a Gandia factory - EFE

A 33 year old illegal immigrant from Bolivia is considering taking action against his employers after losing his arm in an accident at the bakery where he worked in Gandia. It happened on 28th May, when a kneading machine tore off his left arm and would have been investigated as an accident at work if the worker, named by El Mundo as Franns Rilles, had been legally employed by the company.

He’s understood to have worked there for two years without a contract or social security, and was paid 23 € for a 12-hour shift. The prosecution service is reported to be investigating a possible crime on the part of the company.

Frans Rilles had no chance of his severed arm being reattached as, according to the CCOO union, it was thrown out with the rubbish by his employer. It was later recovered by Civil Guard officers, but was too badly damaged by that stage to be reimplanted.

The union also claims the victim was dropped some 200 metres from the local hospital by the factory manager, and was left to make his own way to the emergency department. Still bleeding profusely, he is reported to have been picked up by a passerby and taken the rest of the way. From there, he was transferred to the Virgen del Consuelo Hospital in Valencia, where surgeons were unable to reattach the severely damaged limb.

The union has announced it will be taking its own action against the un-named company, where they say many other staff are also employed illegally.

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