The owner of a Florida-based contracting company that specialized in structural reinforcements and welding, passed away last week after falling from a tower in Shelby, North Carolina.

Jose Ramiro Covarrubias, fell from the Crown Castle tower on June 10, as reported by Wireless Estimator.

Towers
– Getty Images

He is said to have fallen from a 300 ft self-supporting tower at around midday.

An investigation into his death is underway, though according to an eyewitness he might have been transitioning from a lift to the structure.

Covarrubias had reportedly been welding on the structure when he fell. Two other crew members helped in the retrofitting project on the tower located off East Dixon Blvd., behind a 10,600 sq. ft. complex, where Verizon is the main tenant.

Following the incident, a representative from Crown Castle immediately went to the scene to assist in the investigation.

Covarrubias started his career with B&C Contracting of Kissimmee in 1998. He founded his own business, Covarrubias Contracting LLC, in 2020.

According to Wireless Estimator, Covarrubias' death is the first reported fatality resulting from a telco tower fall in 2024.

DCD's sympathies go out to Jose Ramiro Covarrubias' family, friends, and colleagues.