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Man in skyscraper fall not supposed to be on upper floors

Maintenance workers look down South Figueroa Street toward a skyscraper under construction where a worker fell to his death on Thursday, March 17, 2016. A fire department spokesperson said the the construction worker plunged 50 stories to his death from the Wilshire Grand Tower on South Figueroa Street and hit the back of a passing car in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) Maintenance workers look down South Figueroa Street toward a skyscraper under construction where a worker fell to his death on Thursday, March 17, 2016. A fire department spokesperson said the the construction worker plunged 50 stories to his death from the Wilshire Grand Tower on South Figueroa Street and hit the back of a passing car in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

By Associated Press March 18, 2016 3 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – An electrician who plunged to his death while working on a Los Angeles skyscraper was not supposed to be above the third floor and had removed his hard hat before falling 53 floors, construction company officials said.

The man, who was in his second day on the project, fell about 800 feet Thursday from the unfinished Wilshire Grand Center around noon and either hit the back edge of a passing car or struck nearby. Once finished, the building will be the tallest in the West

It happened at one of the busiest times of day at one of the busiest intersections in downtown Los Angeles, when the streets were thronged with people.

He had taken off his hard hat and had not been wearing a safety harness because it wasn’t required for the bottom floors he was working on, said Lisa Gritzner, spokeswoman for Turner Construction, the main contractor on the project.

She could say no more about what may have caused the man to fall or why he was on the upper floor. His name has not been released.