A construction worker died after falling several stories at a work site in Brooklyn Heights on Friday morning.

Police and emergency personnel responded to the call at 10:21 a.m. and found the man lying unconscious on a second-floor terrace, according to the New York City Police Department.

A notice filed with the city’s Department of Buildings said that the man had fallen from the roof of the 10-story building at 124 Columbia Heights, though witnesses reported he had fallen from the 8th floor.

A construction worker on site at the time said the man had not been wearing a harness at the time of the fall. The man’s name and identity are not yet available, pending notification of his family, according to police.

Billionaire financial entrepreneur Vincent Viola purchased the landmarked property, a former Jehovah’s Witness dormitory, for more than $100 million in 2016. The building is being converted from a “community facility” to a luxury apartment house with 96 units, a golf simulator room, two swimming pools and parking garage, filings show. Called The Torre House, the rental building is set to open to tenants this spring.

jehovahs witnesses brooklyn heights tunnels 124 columbia heights
The building in 2017. Photo by Susan De Vries

The property has several active construction permits for work ranging from plumbing and electrical to the installation of a temporary elevator. Since July 2020, 17 complaints about worker safety at the site have been filed with DOB and the city’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. Three of those complaints were dismissed.

In November, construction company KBENY LLC was ordered to pay $10,000 for “failure to safeguard all persons and property affected by construction operations.” It was the second $10,000 fine issued for failure to maintain safety measures in six months. Other complaints alleged that there were not sufficient guardrails at the multiple-story site, and that vertical safety nets had not been installed. A stop work order was issued last April after multiple safety violations were reported, including failure to alert DOB to an injury on site.

“My heart goes out to the loved ones of the deceased,” said local Council Member Lincoln Restler. “Like this tragedy, these avoidable deaths often include Latino workers at non-union construction sites. Our office will work to ensure there is a rigorous investigation into what led to this death. If there was negligence, we will demand accountability.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

Related Stories

Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Brooklyn in Your Inbox

* indicates required
 
Subscribe

What's Your Take? Leave a Comment