Jess Patience identified as man crushed by wind turbine in Victoria

A man who died after being crushed by a fan blade at Australia’s largest wind farm has been remembered as a ‘top fella’ in the wake of the tragedy.

A man who died after being crushed by a fan blade at Australia’s largest wind farm has been remembered as “the most friendly” person who was loved by many.

Emergency services were called to the Golden Plains Wind Farm west of Melbourne about 8am on Monday.

Jess Patience, 36, died at the scene after he was crushed by a blade that got dislodged as it was being prepared for a lift.

The man who tragically died after he was wind turbine blade has been identified as 36-year-old Jess Patience. Picture: Supplied

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to raise $15,000 for his family to help pay for funeral expenses.

“As we come to terms with this unimaginable loss, we want to honour his memory and support his family during this difficult time,” the campaign stated.

“To help ease the financial burden that comes with such a tragedy, we are organising a fundraising campaign.

“The funds raised will go directly to funeral expenses and supporting the family

“We invite you to join us in celebrating Jess’s life and legacy.

“Your contribution, no matter how small, will make a significant difference.

“Please consider donating and sharing this message with others who may wish to help.”

At the time of publication, the fundraiser had raised more than $100,000 of its $15,000 goal.

Colleague and friend, Elliot Sawkins, took to social media to remember the “top fella” Mr Patience was.

“Jess was one of the most friendly guys I’ve met and took me under his wing to teach me a lot in the time I worked with him,” Mr Sawkins said.

“He was always down for a chat about a lot of our shared experiences from growing up in the ranges to living in Canada, he was a top fella.

“This tragedy has resulted in someone not returning home from work and has left behind his wife.”

Emergency services were called to the site after Jess Patience was crushed by the wind turbine. Picture: 7News,

Authorities believe the turbine became dislodged before it fell. Picture: 7News,

WorkSafe Victoria launched an investigation following the incident.

“It is understood a number of blades were at ground level being prepared for a lift when one of them dislodged from a supporting platform and struck the 36-year-old man just after 8am,” WorkSafe said in a statement on Tuesday.

“WorkSafe investigators, technical experts and dedicated renewable energies construction inspectors remain on site.”

Mr Patience’s death is the 38th confirmed workplace fatality for 2024.

The tragedy comes after the Australian Workers’ Union raised safety concerns with project builders Vestas in the past two weeks about the second stage of the Golden Plains project.

“This is not just another statistic, this is a worker who went to work and never came home,” AWU Victoria secretary Ronnie Hayden said.

Jess Patience was working at Golden Plains Wind Farm in Rokewood when he died. Picture: NewsWire/Nadir Kinani

The AWU claim delegates were concerned Vestas had engaged “non-unionised contractors for some of the most dangerous work on site”, he said, plus “inadequate supervision” on the work site.

“This devastating loss could have been prevented,” Mr Hayden said

“Just two weeks ago, union delegates from three different unions met with Vestas management to raise serious safety concerns, telling them it was only dumb luck that nobody had been killed on site yet.”

A spokesperson from Vestas said the incident occurred “while a turbine blade was being stored on the ground and prepared for installation”.

“Emergency services were called immediately to the scene however the Vestas subcontractor tragically passed away,” they said.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the individual’s family and will do everything we can to support them and our site personnel during this difficult time.”

The spokesperson said Vestas’ focus was on ensuring the safety, support and wellbeing of its employees.

“Employee support services have been made available at the site and across the entire Australia and New Zealand organisation, along with various meeting to ensure welfare and care,” they said.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family, and we’re interacting with the individual’s employer, Professional Wind Services, to ensure that we can support the family in any way possible.”