Two construction workers were killed Tuesday when a beam fell at a job site in Queens.
The accident occurred around noon at a construction site at 81-10 134th Streetin the Briarwood section, near the south end of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The nearly 30-foot-long beam fell six stories and crashed on top of a crane operator’s compartment,ABC 7 reported. The machine is owned by Cranes Express, according to reports. NYPD identified the men as 47-year-old crane operator George Smith, 29 Georgetown Lane in Brooklyn, and 43-year-old Alessandro Ramos, 90-25 138 Place in Queens.
“We need to know of course right away whether it was mechanical, was it human error. We don’t know yet,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said, New York Daily News reported. Tuesday saw winds of 20 to 30 mph with wind gusts up to 40 mph. Whether that was a factor in the accident hasn’t been determined.
“I’m amazed that somebody was crazy enough to use a mobile crane today,” Pete Corrigan, New York District Council of Carpenters, told the Daily News.
Corrigan said that 90 percent of the workers in his labor group were not out on jobs because of the wind.
“This crane shouldn’t have been up today. How many guys are going to die because of street greed? This is not what these families need two days before Thanksgiving,” he added.
Kimberly M. Aquilina contributed to this report.
#FDNY members operate w/ @NYCOEM at crane incident in #Queens. Incident remains open to investigation pic.twitter.com/3TcrcffCLf
— FDNY (@FDNY) November 22, 2016
FDNY members on scene alongside @NYPDnews at 81-10 134 St #Queens, 2 patients confirmed DOA pic.twitter.com/OcSWnr0Lj2
— FDNY (@FDNY) November 22, 2016
2 patients confirmed DOA from fallen beam at 81-10 134 St #Queens. FDNY members operating on scene
— FDNY (@FDNY) November 22, 2016
