Crime & Safety
Worker Falls Into 40-Foot Hole at Construction Site
The incident occurred at the Gowanus Canal Flushing Tunnel site.
A worker plummeted about 40 feet from a ladder into a gaping hole in the ground at the Gowanus Canal Flushing Tunnel construction site on Columbia and Degraw streets, officials said.
The 39-year-old male was taken to Lutheran Hospital in critical condition, a fire spokesperson said.
Just after noon Monday, the FDNY and the NYPD responded to the call, shutting down traffic on Columbia Street. Using a fire ladder and an elaborate pulley system, the man was pulled out of the hole, which was estimated to be between 30-45 feet deep.
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"We were able to extricate him and treat him medically," a fire department spokesperson said.
The street and sidewalk was crowded with onlookers.
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The construction company working at the NYC Department of Environmental Protection construction site is NorthEast Remsco.
The workers wore lime green t-shirts with a safety message on the back:
"Work Safely! My family expects me home tonight."
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