Worker killed in construction site collapse in Borough Park that DOB says was illegal
BOROUGH PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A man was killed in a construction site collapse in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn on Friday doing work that officials say was illegal.
The basement floor of a two-story building under construction collapsed at 1266 50th St.
The 33-year-old worker died during construction at the site that was in violation of a stop work order.
The only work at the 50th Street home should have been "to make this site safe, as you can see, that stop work order was violated," Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo said.
"There are absolutely no plans submitted to the Department of Buildings, this fatality absolutely should not have happened, they should not have been doing this work, let alone having a bobcat inside this structure," Oddo said.
Oddo said the site could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for being in violation of the partial stop work order.
The first floor collapsed in a V-shape into the basement. Investigators are not sure what caused the collapse, although construction materials were on the floor at the time of the collapse.
First responders attempted in vain to dig the victim out of a mound of dirt, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His identity has not yet been released.
Few other details were released.
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