Benicia family shares frustration after father dies in crane accident at Arizona power plant
PHOENIX - A frustrated family is desperate to learn why a husband and father of four died in a crane accident at an APS plant in the Phoenix area.
The man, identified as Mike Olver of California, was working as a contractor when something went horribly wrong.
"This should not have happened. This should not have happened," said Olver's wife, Jenny.
Olver's family said he was supposed to be at APS' Redhawk Power Plant, which is located to the west of the Phoenix area, for a 10-day project.
On Nov. 7, Jenny got a call that she never expected.
"I was working from home, and I received a call from my supervisor that he was in it," said Jenny. "He didn't know anything that he was in an accident, and you know, I just I guess I thought, ‘OK, maybe he broke his arm.’ I literally thought that. And then, after waiting and waiting and waiting, and phone calls back and forth, I got the horrible news."
Afterwards, Olvers' daughter, Brianna, immediately flew out to Arizona.
"We stood outside the plant and wanted somebody to speak to me, as naive as it was," said Brianna. "Nobody would speak to me, and nobody would give us any information. It's hard to grieve when you don't know what happened."
The Olvers say they don't know what happened to Mike at the plant. The family lives in Benicia, and they say Olver has been in the industry for 25 years.
"He was a valve machinist," said Brianna. "He could build, repair, and replace valves in any capacity, and when we were younger, he did it offshore in refineries, as he's done a lot of power plants. As of late, he's been to Redhawk Power Plant multiple times."
Currently, officials with the State of Arizona are investigating what went wrong. Meanwhile, APS officials have released a statement that reads:
"We are deeply saddened by the death of a contractor at the Redhawk Power Plant last week. There were no impacts to other individuals at the plant, the public or plant operations due to the incident. An investigation is underway. The safety of our crews and customers will always be a top priority for APS."
"We would like for there to be a sense of urgency to identify what happened, and what can be done to prevent it in the future," said Jenny.
Olver's celebration of life is scheduled for Nov. 20.