EAST HARTFORD, CT
The state Department of Transportation says a construction worker fell to his death from an excavator that tipped over on state Route 2.
Spokesman Kevin Nursick says 60-year-old John Dubray, of Bethlehem, fell about 20 feet to the ground on the shoulder of Interstate 84 on Wednesday.
Officials say Dubray had been operating the excavator for Southington-based contractor Brunalli Construction. Dubray was taken to Hartford Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Nursick says the excavator was using hydraulics to break and deconstruct portions of a ramp. The digger tipped over the edge of the bridge and the operator fell from the cab.
State police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the incident.
===========
East Hartford, CT – A construction worker fell to his death from the cab of an excavator that tipped over on Route 2 on Wednesday, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The worker, 60-year-old John Dubray of Bethlehem, was operating the excavator for contractor Brunalli Construction, a Southington-based company that has been cited in the past for safety violations.
Dubray fell about 20 feet to the ground on the shoulder of I-84, according to Kevin Nursick, DOT spokesman. He was transported to Hartford Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
The incident occurred at about 12:45 p.m. When troopers arrived, they found the John Deere excavator on its side with the boom leaning over the overpass. Its extended arm was touching the ground alongside I-84, keeping it from collapsing further, Nursick said.
Crews are working on a $22 million demolition project in the area. Brunelli Construction is the contractor for the state.
The Department of Transportation said the worker was doing demolition of the bridge railing.
Officials said the wind was not believed to be a factor in the incident. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of the death.