One Dead, 3 Hurt in Wall Collapse During Building Demolition

A second-floor section of the former 3-story building at 126 Lafayette Street following the collapse of a wall and scaffolding. Photo: Milo Hess

One worker died and three others were injured Tuesday around 1 p.m. when a wall and scaffolding collapsed during demolition of a former commercial building at 126 Lafayette Street, just north of Canal. 

The worker who died became trapped beneath the falling debris. Two other workers fell on top of the debris and a third man also was injured, said FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens. Firefighters arrived at the 3-story, unoccupied building in less than four minutes and “quickly assessed the situation and were able to dig out the trapped construction worker pretty quickly and get him into the hands of the paramedics,” Hodgens said at the scene. The trapped worker was transported to Bellevue Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The other three workers were deemed to have non life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

“The initial collapse caused the collapse of the floor beams, causing the injuries of the workers on the lower level,” said Acting Buildings Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik.

The floor that collapsed was overloaded with debris, according to a preliminary investigation, Vilenchik said. In February, RJB Contracting Carting Corp., the demolition contractor on the job, had been cited with five safety violations, including overloading the first floor with 50 tons of material, according to the DOB, which said in a statement that it lifted a stop work order after the violations were corrected. The DOB said that it does not appear that the incident on Tuesday was the result of any of the previous violations.

This was the year’s first reported construction fatality, the DOB said.

Representatives from the RJB Contracting Carting Corp., and Stellar Management, the building’s owner, did not respond to requests for comment.