Wife of Man in 2-Year Coma Blames SpaceX

The wife of a SpaceX worker who's spent the last two years in a coma is suing Elon Musk's company for negligence. Reuters previously disclosed Francisco Cabada's skull fracture as one of at least 600 injuries at SpaceX since 2014, some resulting in disability and amputations. Cabada had been working for SpaceX for 10 years when he took part in a Raptor V2 pressure engine test at the company's facility in Hawthorne, California, on Jan. 18, 2022. During the test, a fuel-controller assembly cover detached and struck the integration technician in the head, fracturing his skill, Gizmodo reports. The father of three from Los Angeles has been in a coma ever since.

Former employees told Reuters that a flaw in the cover on the engine meant to power the world's largest rocket was "discovered, but not fixed" before the test. Cabada's wife, Ydy Cabada, filed a negligence lawsuit on her husband's behalf earlier this month in a Los Angeles state court. Her lawyer declined to comment, as did SpaceX, per Reuters. The outlet has reported on systemic issues at the company, fueled by its habit of rushing development. Its investigation found "average injury rates at three of its facilities, including Hawthorne, far outpaced rates across the wider space industry," per Business Insider. At Hawthorne, there were 1.8 injuries per 100 workers in 2022, more than double the industry average of 0.8. (More SpaceX stories.)