Worker Dies In Fall At Gramercy Construction Site, FDNY Says

GRAMERCY, NY — A worker died after falling down an elevator shaft at a Gramercy construction site Tuesday, an FDNY spokesman said.

The 33-year-old man plunged nine stories down the elevator shaft at 111 East 24th Street — located between Park and Lexington avenues — shortly before 9 a.m., a city Department of Buildings spokesperson said. EMS responded to the site and pronounced the man dead at the scene, an FDNY spokesman said.

City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera called Tuesday morning's accident a "terrible tragedy."

"I first and foremost want to extend my sincerest condolences to the victim’s family and friends," Rivera said in a statement. "This is a terrible tragedy, and we are working at this time with the FDNY, Department of Buildings, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the developer, and all relevant agencies to determine the particulars of this incident."

The man was working for contractor U-Tek Elevator, Inc. to install an elevator car in the shaft, a city Department of Buildings spokesperson said. City investigators found that the man was not tied to a fall-protection safety line at the time of the accident.

A stop work order was issued for the construction site and the Department of Buildings will issue violations after its investigation is complete, a department spokesperson said. The site had no open violations or complaints at the time of the accidents, the spokesperson said.

Workers are constructing a 12-story hotel building at the East 24th Street site, according to plans filed last year with the Department of Buildings. The building is set to rise 113-feet-tall and house 130 hotel rooms, according to the building plans.

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