Construction Worker Dies After Brooklyn Building Collapse

A construction worker died Nov. 8 after rescuers pulled him from wreckage at a Brooklyn, N.Y., condominium project under construction. Four other workers were also rescued from the rubble at 2929 Brighton Fifth Street in the Brighton Beach section, according to a New York Times account. Three were listed in stable condition, according to news accounts. A fifth worker who was working outside the building refused to be treated.
 
New York Dept. of Buildings engineers, in a preliminary investigation, theorized that the building’s collapse could have resulted from workers not following proper concrete pour practices, says a DOB spokesperson. DOB said that the workers may have been working from the top floors down, rather than starting from the bottom, but nothing has been confirmed, the spokesperson added.
 
SP&K Construction, Brooklyn, N.Y., is the contractor on the job, according to media accounts. Calls to SP&K were not returned by press time.
 
DOB issued a stop-work order on the Brighton Beach property and investigation is ongoing, says the spokesperson.