The two workers killed in Wednesday’s Pearl Harbor buoy accident have been identified as 42-year-old Joefrey Andrada of Waipahu, and Justin Saragosa, 30, of Kapolei.
The pair died of blunt-force injuries to the head and torso, the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday.
Jonalyn Agbayani said Andrada, her uncle, "was a very family-oriented person."
"He was a good man and we’re very sad," Agbayani said by phone. "We’re still kind of in shock right now, so all of this stuff coming to us is very overwhelming."
The two civilian contract workers were killed and two others were injured while working on the barge with a crane at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility off Waipio Peninsula.
The four were working on a floating concrete block when a 10,000-pound buoy fell about 70 feet, hitting two of them. The two others sustained minor injuries while scrambling to get out of the way of the falling buoy.
Andrada suffered traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead, and Saragosa sustained a critical head injury, according to Emergency Medical Services.
The workers were employed by Healy Tibbitts Builders Inc., which specializes in marine construction.
They were replacing a buoy 12 feet to 15 feet in diameter on the 820-foot decommissioned amphibious ship Tarawa, which uses a number of the circular white buoys, officials said.
A "capture plate" used with the buoy and a safety strap reportedly failed. The accident was reported at 10:19 a.m.
The Navy will convene a Safety Investigation Board to look into the exact cause of the accident at Middle Loch, said Catherine Cruz Norton, a spokeswoman for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific.
An investigation board consists of three to five members, including a safety investigation adviser appointed by the Naval Safety Center. The results and findings of the investigation will be completed by February, Cruz Norton said.
However, the Safety Center said the board’s findings and recommendations are "privileged" and that individuals who provide information under a promise of confidentiality are told the Navy uses its best efforts to keep that information from being released.
The Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Middle Loch is one of several operated by the Navy for the storage of old ships that are held in reserve, or may be sold to a foreign country, scrapped or sunk in targeting exercises.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
