Statement On Cambridge Fatal Industrial Incident

Press release from the City of Cambridge:

March 3, 2021

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Cambridge Fire Chief Gerry Mahoney and Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville Bard, Jr. have confirmed that today at approximately 8:23 a.m. a fatal incident involving a construction worker occurred at First Street Garage in East Cambridge.

The decedent, a 56-year-old male construction worker, had been working on the restoration of a stairwell on the Second Street side of the garage when the stairwell collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This case has been referred to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner who will determine the cause of death. A second construction worker, a 41-year-old male, sustained critical injuries and he was transported to an area hospital where he remains in critical condition.

This is an open investigation being conducted by the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Cambridge Fire Department, the Cambridge Police Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

"My prayers are with the family, friends, and coworkers of the individual who died today as well as with the individual who was injured and remains in critical condition. The City is working with OSHA and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of this tragic incident,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale.

The City’s general contractor for this project is Structural Preservation Systems, LLC of Cheshire, CT.

This press release was produced by the City of Cambridge. The views expressed here are the author’s own.