Friday, May 1, 2015

CONSTRUCTION WORKER CRASHED TO DEATH BY CEMENT BLOCK WALL COLLAPSE IN PRESTIGE TOYOTA GARAGE BUILDING IN RAMSEY, NEW JERSEY





APRIL 23, 2015

RAMSEY, NEW JERSEY

A 56-year-old construction worker from Riverdale was fatally injured Wednesday when a cement block wall fell on him at an industrial building on 50 Williams Drive, Ramsey, NJ 07446, authorities said.

The man, whose name had not been released by police as of Wednesday evening, was working outside a building at 50 Williams Drive when a 9-by-12-foot section of the wall fell on him around 11:30 a.m., borough Police Chief Bryan Gurney said in a release.

The building is occupied by Prestige Management LLC, which operates a number of car dealerships in the area. Prestige executives could not be reached for comment.

The victim and other workers were removing the wall in preparation for the construction of a garage door into the building, Gurney said.

Authorities responded to a 11:34 a.m. 911 call at the building. Authorities arrived to find the man trapped beneath cinderblocks on the west side of the building, Gurney said.

Ramsey police, the Ramsey Ambulance Corps and paramedics from The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood gave first aid and CPR to the victim, Gurney said. The man was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, N.Y., where he was pronounced dead at 12:10 pm, the chief said.

Members of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation processed evidence and photographed the scene. A representative of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also was present.
The victim worked for Jon’s Construction of Saddle Brook, which is a subcontractor for Infante Construction of Ridgewood.

The Ramsey construction official, Ralph Venturini, told police that “all proper permits were obtained, prior the start of the work,” Gurney said in his statement.

UPDATE

Police identified the 56-year-old construction worker who was killed Wednesday after a cinderblock wall fell on him as David Louis of Riverdale.

He was working outside an industrial building at 50 Williams Drive around 11:30 a.m., borough Police Chief Bryan Gurney said in a statement. A 9-by-12-foot section of the wall fell on him.

The building is occupied by Prestige Management LLC, which operates a number of car dealerships in the area.

Louis worked for Jon’s Construction of Saddle Brook, which is a subcontractor for Infante Construction of Ridgewood. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, N.Y., where he was pronounced dead about 40 minutes later.

All proper construction permits had been obtained before the work began, authorities said.