Alvaro Navarro of Miami, Florida died on January 13 after falling off scaffolding on a South Beach condo that was under renovation. Navarro, 50, fell three stories and was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he later died.
According to Miami Beach police, the accident occurred after 9 a.m. at the Decoplage condominium on 100 Lincoln Road. Work on the building has been halted until officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can investigate the incident.
It is still unclear how or why the scaffolding collapsed, but a video taken by a bystander on the previous day reportedly shows workers climbing the condo’s balconies without safety equipment. Coast to Coast General Contractors was identified as the contractor and Yaniv Levi, the company’s president, released the following statement:
“Coast to Coast is deeply saddened by the death of Alvaro Navarro, and we are trying to help the family through this tragic accident,” Levi said. “We are working with state and federal investigators to understand why this accident happened. OSHA has told us we may resume work, but we need know what happened and why. Until we get those answers, we cannot comment because we simply don’t have the facts.”
Another construction site accident was reported on Monday morning in Key Largo. It led to the death of three workers and injured a volunteer firefighter and two deputies. The three dead workers were identified as Robert Wilson, Louis O’Keefe, and Elway Gray.
According to Monroe County police, the accident occurred at 8:30 a.m. near 175 Long Key Drive. The workers were trapped in a manhole underneath a newly paved road. Officials believe a mixture of hydrogen sulfite and methane gas killed the men.
The gas mixture also severely injured volunteer firefighter Leonardo Moreno, who was part of the rescue effort. He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital and is expected to remain sedated for several days. Two Monroe County deputies were also injured and had to be taken to a hospital for observation.
Homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution and HAZMAT teams were called in from Miami-Dade County to help contain the situation. Police have not said what caused the leakage and the incident remains under investigation.
Source: 1.13.17 Navarro Scaffolding Accident.pdf & 1.16.17 Key Largo Worker Deaths.pdf