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Midtown Building Ceiling Collapse Kills 1, Seriously Injures Another

A ceiling collapse in a midtown Manhattan building has killed one construction worker and seriously injured another on Friday morning, multiple sources reported. The eight-story building at 25 West 38th Street was undergoing demolition, fire officials said.

 

Pedro Bacilio, 26, was the victim who was killed in the incident. The injured worker, who has not been identified, remained trapped for several hours inside the building as rescuers tried to pull him out. He was pinned at the hip beneath a mass of bricks and wooden beams, according to reports.

 

Emergency responders bolstered the building’s basement with shoring to prevent a further collapse before attempting to free the trapped worker. Additionally, fire officials erected a makeshift canopy to shield the man from bricks that continually fell down above him.

He remained conscious throughout the rescue, which lasted for roughly three hours. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in serious, but stable condition.

 

It took officials a few more hours to recover the body of his dead colleague, Bacilio, from the unstable building.

 

Altogether, there were 19 construction workers inside the building at the time of the incident, sources said. The rest were accounted for and unharmed.

 

The construction workers were taking bricks down and stacking them on the floor of the fourth story, a source told the New York Post. The debris may have overloaded the floor from so much weight which may have caused the collapse.

 

The building at 25 West 38th Street and its neighboring building, 27 West 38th Street, were being demolished to make way for a 27-story luxury boutique hotel, called the Aloft New York Midtown Hotel, owned by the Fortuna Realty Group, according to Department of Buildings records.

 

Maspeth-based Northeast Service Interiors was handling the demolition.

 

A thorough, detailed investigation into the cause of these buildings collapsing must begin immediately so that crucial evidence is not destroyed. The City of New York and its agencies cannot be relied upon to perform these types of investigations. Many times it is determined that improper building permits were issued by the City and therefore liability is found against the Department of Buildings of the City of New York. Hiring the right lawyer to uncover negligent acts is the first important step.

 

The attorneys at Morgan Levine Dolan have recovered millions of dollars for our injured clients, most of whom have been injured in construction accidents.

 

If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in a building collapse, contact Jared Levine of Morgan Levine Dolan at 212-461-499 today.

 

Source: http://nypost.com/2015/10/30/ceiling-collapse-at-nyc-building/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow

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