Poughkeepsie: Construction worker killed at Dutton site
Geoffrey WilsonA construction worker at the One Dutchess Avenue development site was killed after a concrete and dirt wall collapsed Thursday afternoon.
The Poughkeepsie city Building Department closed operations at the O'Neill Group-Dutton site as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigates the fatality, said Poughkeepsie Fire Chief Mark Johnson.
"It's just a very sad day, and my sympathy and heart goes out to the young man and his family," said Finbar O'Neill, director of operations for the development project.
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First responders arrived around 3:49 p.m. and found one worker trapped under a concrete and dirt wall and a second man knocked to the ground by the collapse.
The regional collapse team, which includes the Poughkeepsie, Arlington and LaGrange fire departments, was called to the scene to rescue the first man.
About 35 minutes into the operation, first responders found the man's location and determined that there was an "extreme danger of a second collapse," Johnson said.
Shortly after finding the worker, medics with the MidHudson Regional Hospital determined that he was dead. The regional collapse team converted their efforts into a recovery operation, and the body was recovered around 5:16 p.m.
The Dutchess County Medical Examiner's Office took custody of the body, and Mobile Life Support Services transported the second man to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries.
The 15-acre former lumber yard is being redeveloped into a mix of commercial space and apartments, as well as a public trail. Work in the city has begun, but not on the 3.5 acres in the town of Poughkeepsie, where officials have declined to rezone the property.
Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: Geoff_LW