A man working at a construction job site in Manhattan died Thursday after falling from a 50-foot-high concrete wall into a pit 60 feet deep.
The fall happened at about 8:50 a.m. First responders found the victim without a pulse and in critical condition, New York City Fire Department Battalion Chief Anthony Romano and EMS Chief Nicholas Aiello said.
The victim, identified by the New York City District Council of Carpenters union as Jorge Sanchez, 52, later died at the hospital, according to WABC-TV.
Mr. Romano said that fire officials do not yet know how or why Mr. Sanchez fell.
The job site is located in the Hudson Yards area of Manhattan, where the Gateway Development Commission, Amtrak and related companies are overseeing work to build planned rail tunnels under the Hudson River. The victim worked for the New York Concrete Corporation.
All work has been suspended at the site while the fall is being investigated, the joint overseers of the project said.
The New York Concrete Corporation said that it “is deeply saddened to confirm that a tragic incident occurred today at our project site resulting in the loss of a worker’s life. Our thoughts are with the individual’s family, friends, and coworkers during this difficult time,” according to construction industry magazine Engineering News-Record.
The New York Concrete Corporation and joint venture partner JPL Industries are cooperating with the investigation, company officials told Engineering News-Record.
The New York City District Council of Carpenters said that Mr. Sanchez was a member of the union, writing, “he was more than a carpenter. He was part of our family, a brother who stood shoulder to shoulder with us every day to build something bigger than ourselves. … we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who loved him.”
In June, FDNY rescued another man who was injured at the site after being clipped by machinery and falling into a deep hole.
