Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Young Man Dies in Goleta Industrial Accident

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the family of a young man who was killed last month in a Goleta industrial accident. This suit claims that the 21-year-old died due to the negligence of several involved parties. The lawsuit was filed last month on behalf of the man’s 4-year-old son, Izaiah, and his mother, Gloria Rodriguez. The complaint alleges that the death of Jose Ortiz was “highly foreseeable.”

Ortiz was trapped by an 18-wheeler tractor-trained against a loading dock at Gold Cost Dairy, where he worked in the warehouse. The Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies responded to the accident around 11 p.m. Although Ortiz was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, he later passed away.

The lawsuit has a number of defendants: Dean Foods Co., the Texas-based company that delivers Alta Dena Dairy milk to local distributors; the contracted delivery company, Defrancesco’s Dairy Transport (DDT); and Cory Lopez, the truck driver involved in the incident.