State lawmakers seek answers on contractor’s death at UH athletic field

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - State lawmakers are digging in to find out who is responsible for a deadly construction accident at the University of Hawaii’s new home for football.

Work is being done at the school’s Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex on lower campus.

Last month, 30-year-old Harry Evans of the United Kingdom was crushed under parts of a hospitality suite he was unloading. On Monday, lawmakers grilled university executives over his death.

Senators say the German company he worked for was not listed as a subcontractor and may not have had a Hawaii construction license or permits.

“The whole purpose in having these permits is safety and I am sure OSHA is looking into this, but there is a huge liability on the university,” State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim said in a hearing.

State Sen. Kurt Favella asked, “Who’s responsible? Who’s going to be responsible now to answer for this loss of life?”

“It is our position that this is all covered under the general contractor’s contract and insurance,” UH Vice President Jan Gouveia said.

University officials said the contract for the hospitality suites was added to an existing contract to build bleachers as they rushed to prepare the field for football. The program is moving there after challenges with a future at Aloha Stadium.

[Read more: Man killed during construction work at Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex]

Copyright 2021 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.