(Hardest-hitting article so far. It mentions that one of the fatalities was a 69 year old man. Sounds like one of the folks that Michael Yates blogged about.)
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/harlem-building-collapse-triggers-frantic-rescue-effort-article-1.1048799 Harlem building collapse kills construction worker at demolition site 2 other injured hardhats pulled from Columbia University expansion plan rubble By Sharyn Jackson, Ben Lesser AND Corky Siemaszko / NEW YORK A veteran hardhat working for a demolition company with mob ties was killed Thursday and two others were badly hurt after part of a Harlem building suddenly crashed down on them, authorities said. The trio was pinned by tons of reinforced concrete and steel, sparking a desperate rescue by fellow hardhats who used their bare hands to free them. They quickly dug out two of the trapped workers, one of whom later died, officials said. But it took 45 minutes to reach the third hardhat, 60-year-old King Range, who was dragged bleeding with a head wound from the wreckage. “He was really banged up, but he talked all the way to the ambulance,” said a firefighter at the scene. All three were transported to St. Luke’s Hospital, where one — a 69-year-old Bronx man — was pronounced dead on arrival. His name was not released. The other injured construction workers were in serious condition, officials said. “My father, he’s my rock,” said Range’s son, King Range Jr., 25, of the Bronx. “As a child I would never imagine that I would talk to anyone about my father being injured. He’s like my Superman. This is very tough right now.” He said his dad — an observant Muslim who makes stained glass windows — has a ruptured shoulder blade in addition to head injuries. “I’m just extremely thankful to God he’s alive,” said the son, who suffers from cerebral palsy and needs a wheelchair to get around. “Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without him.” Relatives identified the other injured worker as 30-year-old Sakim Kirby of the Bronx. “I’m still numb,” said Kirby’s dad, Curtis, who said his son suffered a concussion and multiple spine and pelvic injuries. “He worked so many years for them and never had an accident.” The three men work for Breeze National, which records show is owned by reputed Luchese crime family associate Toby Romano. Romano was convicted in 1988 of bribing inspectors to overlook health violations on asbestos-removal jobs. A call to Romano’s company was not returned. Romano’s workers began demolishing the former two-story paint warehouse at 604-606 W. 131st St. last month, records show. Two-thirds of the nearly century-old building at 604-606 W. 131st St. had been razed when it caved in about 7:50 a.m., a Fire Department spokesman said. Neighbors said at first they thought a bomb had gone off. While the cause of the collapse was still under investigation, officials at the scene said a worker had just finished cutting a support beam when the floor above him fell and took two supporting walls down as well. The project was part of Columbia University’s expansion plan, a member of Community Board 9 said at the scene. The accident was not the first time city inspectors found problems at the job site, records show. In November, the Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order because the scaffolding was a floor higher than approved. The order was rescinded a week later. On March 5, the DOB issued a partial stop-work order on because hardhats on the site were using improper safety harnesses. Two days later, work was allowed to resume, records show. Breeze National was also hit with violations for failing to notify the DOB that it was starting demolition and for failing to properly safeguard all the people and property affected by the demolition, records show. Two years ago, a 51-year-old Breeze National worker named Jozef Wilk fell to his death while demolishing another Columbia-owned building at 3229 Broadway. Wilk tumbled from third-floor scaffolding on the outside of the building and down an open elevator shaft to his death. A Polish immigrant, Wilk was a married father of two who lived in Jackson Heights, Queens. [email protected] _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
