Two men died within hours of each other while working on separate construction jobs in the city Tuesday.
The first, 33-year-old Ju Cong Wu, was working at McSam Hotel Group’s hotel development at 111 East 24th St. when he fell nine stories down an elevator shaft, Crain’s New York Business reports. It was the second time a worker has died on a McSam site in the past five years.
Hours later, a 26-year-old died after falling out a window at a sixth-floor co-op unit he was renovating. John Davie was doing work on the bathroom and other areas of a co-op at 62-98 Saunders St. in the Queens neighborhood of Rego Park. The work was being done without a permit, according to the Department of Buildings, but it was still declared a construction death.
Davie’s parents saw him fall, according to a report from the New York Daily News. He had been working with father and another man when he died.
“I looked at the building and I see the guy fall out and land on the ground,” witness Cesar Estebez told the NYDN. “The father (was going) crazy.”
The owner has been issued violations for doing unsanctioned renovations and failing to keep workers safe.
Construction deaths spiked significantly in recent years. In September, the City Council approved a bill that requires workers on most construction sites to receive a minimum of 40 hours of safety training.
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