Construction Worker Killed When Box Truck Strikes Cherry Picker In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A Queens construction worker fell to his death Thursday morning after a box truck hit the cherry picker he was standing in.
Surveillance video captured it all.
Now investigators are looking to see if proper safety protocols were followed.
The 59-year-old man was standing inside his bucket when a tall box truck approached the intersection at around 2:45 a.m. near Goldsmith Street and Grand Avenue in Elmhurst.
The impact was so violent, the cherry picker was left cracked and dented.
"I was walking and I heard 'boom.' Oh my god. What is the crash, where? I don't see anything. But I see that guy - boom - fall on the floor right there... oh my God," said Juan Cohn.
Neighbors say the construction worker was fixing a traffic light on Grand Avenue when the truck came speeding down the street, hitting the bucket, causing him to fall several feet.
He was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where he later died.
"Always sad when somebody loses their life, right? We have to have more precautions, maybe," said neighbor Maria Zorovich.
The victim worked for Welsbach Electrical Corporation. Fellow employees were on the scene after the accident taking pictures. They said the victim was working alone at the time.
When asked if if proper safety procedures were followed, they stopped talking.
"Is there anything you can tell us about if safety procedures were followed here?" CBS2's Christina Fan asked
"No, I can't, there's a full investigation for this, so we have no comment right now," one said.
Surveillance video shows the worker had flashing lights on. There were also cones placed around the back of his truck.
Neighbors believe their should have been more.
"No protection, no nothing, some uniform," said witness Juan Cohn.
Police said the 56-year-old driver of the box truck stayed on the scene. So far, no charges have been filed.
