Brooklyn ‘hardhat’ loses his life in tragic crane accident

Earlier this month, on Oct. 11, a construction worker was killed when a piece of equipment fell from the crane he was operating. The man was working at a construction site in downtown Brooklyn when the tragedy occurred.

According to witnesses, the worker had exited his tower crane when a steel object fell from a hook attached to the crane cable. The steel object was part of the mechanism used to secure the hook to the crane cable. The piece of steel plummeted 60 feet before striking the man at approximately 1:20 p.m. The man died at the accident scene.

His wife reported to the scene of the accident soon after it happened. She was distraught and in disbelief as her husband’s coworkers tried to console her grief. The woman’s mother also reported to the scene and made a statement saying that her son-in-law was a very good man.

Tragic Crane Accident In Brooklyn

It is currently unknown if the deceased worker was wearing a hardhat at the time of the accident. However, according to witnesses, the piece of steel fell from such a height, and was so heavy, that it is not likely a hardhat would have saved him. Police are currently investigating the death, along with the Department of Buildings, to determine what may have gone wrong.

This is yet another regretful example of a deadly workplace accident that probably could have been avoided if proper safety inspections and other procedures had been carried out. However, no matter how careful we are, it is impossible to cover all the details and completely protect ourselves in dangerous construction environments.

At the very least, victims of workplace accidents and their families will have the ability to seek workers’ compensation benefits relating to construction site accidents and deaths, and this can be very helpful to them from a financial perspective as they recover and grieve from their injuries and losses.

Source: New York Daily News, “Construction worker in Brooklyn dead after being struck in head by piece of machinery,” Kerry Burke and Ryan Sit, Oct. 11, 2016