A construction site near the intersection of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan was the scene of a fatal incident on Saturday, May 26. That morning, a large glass panel fell from the first floor of one of the city’s largest skyscrapers, the Central Park Tower, killing a security guard and injuring a worker standing beneath it.
Construction on the building, which is located just two blocks from Central Park and just a block from Carnegie Hall, was halted by the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) after the 10:30 a.m. incident. Property owners were also fined for failing to take necessary precautions to safeguard the construction site. It’s unclear if DOB has allowed work to resume.
A Fire Department of New York (FDNY) spokesperson described the glass panel that fell as being 10 by 20 feet. Workers had only been able to hoist the panel to around the first floor at the time it broke lose and fell to the ground.
New York Police Department (NYPD) identified the deceased security guard as a 67-year-old male. The other victim was described as a 27-year-old man. He’s expected to make a full recovery from his injuries.
Construction accidents are far too common in New York City. Although the DOB has stepped up its enforcement of violations in recent years in an effort to curb incident rates, they still frequently occur. If you have suffered crippling injuries or lost a loved one who worked on one of these sites, you may have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit in your legal matter.
Source: NBC 4 New York, “Glass panel kills man in Midtown skyscraper construction accident: NYPD,” May 26, 2018