Authorities reported that a 62-year old Pennsylvania man working as an electrical contractor at a Bronx Metropolitan Transportation Authority site was killed on Aug. 5 at approximately 8 a.m., at the Throgs Neck Expressway terminal near Pennyfield Avenue. The Throgs Neck Bridge, according to officials, is maintained and operated by workers at the site.
The man, whose identity remains unrevealed pending notification of his next of kin in Pennsylvania, was attempting to unload a massive crate from a truck. Suddenly, the crate popped open and an industrial-sized battery that weighed 2,700 lbs. landed on the man, crushing him, according to a source. He died instantly. Two other men assisting him with the unloading process were uninjured in the construction site accident.
The spokesman for the MTA said, “It fell off the back of the truck and crushed him.” The MTA intended to install the uninterruptible power supply battery known in the trade as an UPS as an upgrade to the electrical supply at the Throgs Neck administrative building.
The fatality is being jointly investigated by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and local police. However, no criminal aspects are believed to be involved.
At this early investigative phase, it remains unknown who or what entity or companies may have contributed to the conditions that caused the contractor to be crushed to death. Witness statements and OSHA’s final determination can shed light on the matter. Depending on the wishes of the survivors of the deceased, these findings may be used as a cause of action to pursue civil litigation in order to seek financial compensation for the loss of their loved one.
Source: New York Daily News, “MTA contractor dies after being crushed by industrial-sized battery in the Bronx” Edgar Sandoval and Thomas Tracy, Aug. 05, 2014
