Worker Killed In Crane Accident At Soho Construction Site
April 13, 2019, 10:46 p.m.
It's believed a crane counterweight fell on the 34-year-old man.
A 34-year-old construction worker was killed at the site of an under-construction luxury apartment building on Saturday.
Around 3:15 a.m., police responded to a 911 call about a man who was struck by an object near 111 Varick Street in Manhattan. They found Gregory Echevarria unconscious and unresponsive with severe trauma to the body. EMS pronounced Echevarria dead at the scene.
According to PIX 11, "The construction crew, that also included Echevarria's brother, was setting up a crane counterweight when it slipped, fatally striking Echevarria, a source told PIX11." The loud crash was apparently heard by those in the area.
A 34YO construction worker is dead after authorities say a crane counterweight fell on him.
Happened on Varick Street in SoHo around 3:15 this morning. pic.twitter.com/HrsRtLDp8e— Ken Buffa (@KenBuffa) April 13, 2019
The crane was being readied to lift air-conditioning equipment for 570 Broome Street, the Post reports. A colleague told the paper, "I didn’t see it, but I heard he was split in half. You are talking about 15,000-16,000 pounds."
Echevarria also had four children (including an infant) and was a veteran who "did four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan over 10 years," according to family members who spoke to PIX11. A relative said, "The best father, son, everything."
This is the third construction worker death in the past week: A 51-year-old window washer was killed by a falling piece of facade on the Upper East Side on Monday; and a 23-year-old man fell to his death on Wednesday while replacing bricks under a water tower in Brooklyn Heights.
