Wall collapse in New York’s demolition site: 1 fatality

A wall failure in a New York’s demolition site resulted in one fatality and one injury.

The construction accident occurred in Queens, a municipality in New York, on February 20, 2020. The victims were 2 workers occupied with the demolition of the 3-story structure which is located on 94^th Avenue. The demolition was conducted using mechanical means.

The wall collapsed on the 2^nd floor of the building and laborers were crushed by falling debris.

New York Fire Department was called and firefighters rushed at the scene in search of the workers. The victims were both hospitalized. One of them succumbed to his head injuries and the other was in critical condition, but he is expected to survive.

The NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) inspected the building to derive the causes of the wall failure. Engineers from the Department investigated the conditions of the collapse from the ground as it would be too risky to enter the building. The Department ensured that the culprit of this disaster will be found. “Any loss of life on a construction site is a tragedy, and our engineers and inspectors are already on-site conducting a thorough investigation. We want to assure the families of the victims that we will hold all responsible parties accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Melanie La Rocca, DOB Commissioner, stated.

The building used to house a plant associated with milk packaging and was being demolished to be replaced by a 25-story structure that would host apartments, shops and a parking lot.

According to the permits posted outside the building, the demolition procedures should be completed by March 1, 2020. The company that handled the demolition works made no comment on the incident.

Construction accidents present a declining trend in New York City. Back in November 2019, the NYC Department of Buildings and Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of New York, announced that the number of injuries in construction sites during the first 10 months of the year were 26% less compared to those of 2018. Moreover, the total permits issued in the corresponding time periods were almost the same, showing that the construction rates were equal.