In Midtown Manhattan a five-story townhouse undergoing demolition collapsed. The site which is the future home of the Aloft New York Midtown Hotel is owned by industry giant Starwood.
At the time of the collapse there were 19 workers inside the building. Unfortunately, only 18 made it out alive. Pedro Bacilio was killed in the collapse and Kairo Garcia was rescued from the rubble with devastating injuries.
First responders, including approximately 65 firefighters, arrived at the site of the collapse, 25 West 38th St. between 5th and 6th Avenues, and were able to reach Bacilio, who regrettably died on scene, immediately. It took nearly three hours to reach Garcia who was partially buried underneath the rubble in the building’s basement.
The exact cause of the collapse is under investigation and it is unclear if the work being done was an effort to shore up the structure or a continuation of demolition. Either way the collapse demonstrates the inherently dangerous nature of construction work. While even in the most safely managed and controlled situations, accidents can still happen they are more likely when corners are cut and safety warmings ignored. Proper site safety precautions can be taken to reduce the risks of a construction accident occurring, Much too often, with tragic results, property owners and general contractors put cost and time deadlines ahead of worker safety.