This article examines the reluctance within the church to seek medical help in emergency situations, which has resulted in injury and, in some tragic instances, death among church members. It is based on interviews with current and former church members.
Synopsis
- In this article, we examine specific examples of this reluctance, including the tragic case of a child who choked during a church service but did not receive prompt medical attention, resulting in her death.
- An instance in which a church employee was seriously injured, suffering broken bones, during a construction project at the church. Rather than receiving medical treatment or taken to a hospital, the employee was only given prayer.
- A current church trustee, Phillip Torres, who suffered an injury, severing his finger, during a construction accident in the church auditorium.
- Two OSHA safety violations were issued in 2015 during a church construction project.
- A church member volunteer who is also minor, was accidentally impaled by a pitchfork during construction that is currently taking place for the new fellowship hall.
- It is believed that the church has created a cultural pressure to rely solely on prayer and faith, rather than also seeking practical life-saving measures.
- This negligence of safety in the church leadership seems to be the result of their lack of emergency training. They appear to be prioritizing the avoidance of legal and financial accountability above the safety and well-being of the congregation.
Lack of emergency training and safety protocols resulting in child's death
In April 2012, a tragic incident occurred during a church service, resulting in the death of a young child named Jerusalem Luz Loza. Jerusalem was born on February 6th, 2011 to parents Joseph Loza (a church deacon) and Naomi Aguirre Loza (the daughter of Head Elder Reymundo Aguirre) in the church. She had recently celebrated her first birthday when the accident occurred. According to reports, Jerusalem was seated with her parents in the church sanctuary, chewing on a pencil, which her father was using to take notes, when she began making noises. Her parents then covered her mouth to silence her. (This is due to the strict rules enforced by Pastor Isaac Noriega to keep infants quiet during church services. This rule often results in parents abusing their children in an effort to keep them quiet, out of fear of being publicly singled out. An issue we plan to examine further.) When Naomi attempted to quiet Jerusalem, she is believed to have accidentally swallowed the pencil eraser, unbeknownst to her parents. When Naomi realized something was seriously wrong with Jerusalem, she then rushed her to the church foyer. Understandingly distraught and emotional, Naomi's cry was heard during the service and the father and the deacons rushed to the back to help. They were able to see that Jerusalem could not breathe, but rather than immediately calling 911 and requesting emergency medical assistance, they instead prayed over her and attempted to revive her.
According to accounts from church members, the church leadership waited approximately 20 minutes before calling 911 and requesting an ambulance. However, since the gates to the church compound were closed and locked, the ambulance was unable to enter and the parents had to bring the child outside to receive emergency medical assistance. The church then spent the entire evening in prayer, staying past midnight, but unfortunately it was too late. The lack of oxygen caused the child to go into a vegetative coma for three years before she passed away in 2014. This was a tragic loss for the family. While the parents were not directly at fault, the lack of emergency training, safety protocols, and culture of reluctance by church leadership to call for help could have possibly saved lives. It's worth mentioning that we recently published an article on the fire safety concerns at the church. Why is there such a reluctance to call for emergency medical assistance? This is believed to be due to religious pressure to rely solely on prayer and faith, rather than also using practical life-saving measures.
This article is dedicated to the memory of Jerusalem Luz Loza.
Jerusalem's obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tucson-az/jerusalem-loza-6098086
Church construction injuries and safety negligence
In the early 1990s, the church leadership began a project to construct a second building to accommodate the growing congregation. A former trustee and carpenter, was convinced by Pastor Isaac Noriega to leave his job (which had benefits) to work full-time on the construction project under the agreement that the church would provide him with an income.
Unfortunately, during the church construction project, this employee fell from a height of about 3 stories due to a scaffolding accident, resulting in serious injuries including fractures to his hip and leg bones. Despite the obvious critical nature of the injury, Pastor Isaac Noriega refused to call for emergency medical assistance or take the employee to the hospital. Instead, he had the members of the congregation pray for him and then drove him home, despite the employee's state of shock and severe pain.
When the church employee arrived home, his wife was horrified that he was not taken to the hospital. She promptly took him to the emergency room for proper treatment. He was unable to work for several months due to his injuries, leaving him and his family with no income. Despite this, when the employee and his wife reached out to Pastor Noriega for help, he refused to provide any financial assistance or additional income and instead suggested they apply for food stamps. It is believed that Isaac distanced himself from the employee in order to evade any legal repercussions from paying the employee in an illegal or unregulated manner, as well as avoiding any responsibility for the employee's injuries through worker's compensation. This disturbing display of power and disregard for the well-being of a congregant highlights the extent to which Pastor Isaac Noriega prioritizes avoiding accountability over the welfare of his congregation.
In the early 2000s, a church volunteer suffered an accident while assisting with repairs on one of the church's compound homes. The volunteer had climbed a ladder, but it was not properly locked and he fell, losing consciousness for several minutes. According to witnesses, a church deacon prayed for him and he was then sent on his way without any medical attention. The volunteer's face was severely bruised and his jaw was permanently affected by the injury. Despite the serious nature of the accident, no one from the church leadership acknowledged the incident or offered any support to the volunteer beyond the deacon's prayer.
In the mid 2010s, the church leadership team embarked on a project to construct a third, larger church building. During this endeavor, a construction accident occurred which resulted in a serious injury for current church trustee, Phillip Torres. He was one of the many volunteers who provided free labor for the construction project. Unfortunately, he severed one of his fingers in the accident and it is believed that the church did not provide any compensation to cover the costs of his medical treatment and finger reattachment.
In December 2014, a trenching project was undertaken by the church leadership, including current trustee Robert Gutierrez Jr. and Capstone Masonry business owner, on Los Reales Street, a busy road across from the Desert Diamond Casino. The safety precautions taken during this project were severely lacking, as there were no safety barricades in place, and work was conducted both during the day and night while traffic was passing just a few feet away. Additionally, there was no trenching protection and not all workers were wearing reflective safety vests, which put the workers and passing traffic at risk. The attached pictures further demonstrate the poor safety measures taken during this project.
There were also two OSHA violations that were issued on January 8th, 2015, during a church construction building project. These two violations were issued as serious violations, which are defined as the following: "A serious violation exists when the workplace hazard could cause an accident or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm, unless the employer did not know or could not have known of the violation."
In 2022, an incident occurred during the construction of the Golden Dawn Tabernacle fellowship hall. A 16-year-old boy, who was working as a volunteer at the construction site, fell and was accidentally impaled on the iron prongs of a pitchfork. The injury was severe, causing damage to his legs and genitals, requiring emergency surgery. It is reported by members of the church that the leadership team attempted to downplay and limit the dissemination of information regarding this injury.
Summary
These incidents reveal a pattern of neglect towards the safety and well-being of congregants during church construction projects and services. The church leadership's apparent disregard for safety protocols and their reluctance to call for medical assistance in emergency situations suggests a culture of negligence, which has led to unfortunate consequences. Furthermore, the church's aversion to reporting and seeking emergency medical help in order to avoid legal and financial liability for accidents and injuries on church property raises serious concerns about the safety and welfare of church members. Overall, these incidents demonstrate the church's leadership lack commitment to providing a safe environment for its congregants.
Do you have any church injury, safety or negligence information you'd like to report about Golden Dawn Tabernacle / Tabernaculo Emanuel? Please feel free to comment below, or you can contact us below, anonymously, or if you would like us to respond to you, please provide an email address or phone number.
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Archived Comments#
3 comment(s) imported from the original site:
Anonymous — February 11, 2023#
Has OSHA been notified of these violations?
Anonymous — February 11, 2023#
If those poor church members only understood the pastor doesn’t truly care for them. They should sue the church since it happened on church grounds
GDT's Dishonest Construction Practices - Skirting Permit Requirements and Regulations - Golden Dawn Tabernacle Church Research — May 13, 2023#
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