Tragedy struck late last month at a construction site in the Bronx. A man died, and five of his co-workers suffered injuries when the third floor of the building being erected collapsed on top of them.
The fatal construction accident occurred on Tuesday, August 27. The building was a former parking lot being re-purposed to house eight apartments..
The dead and injured construction workers were working on the second floor, according to the Chief of Special Operations for the Fire Department New York (FDNY). He added that the workers “were trapped from the third floor to the second.” The first responders had to dig through rubble for an hour to get to the men.
Work was halted on the scene after the tragic accident as investigators sought the cause of the collapse.
The deceased man, 48, was an Ecuadorean national who had lived and worked in the United States for many years. His brother, cousin and nephew were also on the scene working when their relative died.
His brother reported that he was hauling material from the second to third floor, then stated that “the material was too heavy” right before the floor collapsed.
According to the Department of Buildings (DOB), the site had no reported violations since May when the permits were issued.
Two of the deceased man’s co-workers were seriously injured and taken to local medical facilities. The other three had only minor injuries and required no medical assistance.
If you are a New York City construction worker who gets hurt on the job, you should understand your rights to file for workers’ compensation benefits.
