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.