I spent two days trying to find the house Rodriguez fell from, because it's possible that a homeowner's insurance policy might help cover his injuries. But he only remembered the general vicinity and I had no luck.
At Home Depot, I spoke to more than a dozen day laborers, trying to track the contractor who dumped Rodriguez without taking him to the hospital -- or paying him for his two hours of work before the quake.
Either they didn't know or they were afraid to speak. One told me he cut his hand on a job and the contractor didn't pay a nickel of the $700 bill. Others say they sometimes get shorted on their pay.
If anyone out there has any information on the contractor who hired Rodriguez, please contact me. Lawyers have told me there might be a way to hold him liable for dumping Rodriguez like a wounded dog.
While I spoke to day laborers, a guy pulled up in a white truck and hired two men.
Was he the culprit?
I may never know.
When I asked if contractors are responsible for the health of their hourly employees, he hit the gas even as he tossed me this line:
"It's not my deal, man."
--
steve.lopez@latimes.com
