Worker Falls 2 Stories to his Death in Construction Accident

Christina Cole

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A construction worker operating an excavating machine during demolition of a vacant building fell to his death when a concrete beam fell off of a second story ledge, dragging the vehicle with it.

A preliminary city report indicates the worker was using a front-end loader to push a 60ft. concrete beam to the ledge of a Bronx building's second floor when it got stuck. When attempting to dislodge the 2-ton beam, the worker pushed it off the side of the eight story building. But the beam dragged the machine with it, falling approximately 26 feet. The worker, thrown from the machine, was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The city's Department of Buildings stopped work at the site and issued a violation to the contractor for unsafe demolition practices. Common practice would be to cut the beam into pieces before removing it.

Engineers from the buildings department and inspectors from the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration were investigating.