What there is to know

  • A Brooklyn construction company operator and a construction foreman have been convicted of multiple counts related to a wall collapse that killed a worker in 2018, according to the district attorney’s office. local county.
  • On the afternoon of September 12, 2018, part of an excavation support system (SOE) and an existing masonry wall collapsed, trapping one of the construction workers, Luis Almonte Sánchez, who was performing foundation works.
  • Unsafe working conditions contributed to the fatal outcome, according to evidence cited by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

NEW YORK – A Brooklyn construction company operator and a construction foreman have been convicted of multiple counts related to a wall collapse that killed a worker in 2018, according to the bureau the local district attorney.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber, and New York City Department of Buildings Acting Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik jointly announced last week the sentencing of Jiaxi “Jimmy” Liu, 49, of Staten Island, who was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, first-degree offering of a false instrument of deposit, fraudulent practices in violation workers’ compensation laws, fourth degree municipal criminal tax evasion and related charges. Meanwhile, Wilson Garcia Jr., 48, also of Staten Island, was convicted of fourth-degree criminal mischief.

Liu faces a maximum sentence of eight to 16 years in prison and Garcia faces up to a year in prison when they are sentenced on April 26, according to the district attorney’s office.

The convictions relate to a 2018 workplace incident. According to González, citing evidence in the case, between April and September 2018, construction workers from WSC Group Inc., a Liu company, participated demolition, excavation and foundation. work on a construction site in Sunset Park that involved the removal of a one-story industrial building and its replacement with a four-story manufacturing and community building featuring a new basement level for an underground garage.

However, despite warnings of unsafe conditions at the site from workers and adjacent landowners, Liu refused to let him stop construction work, Gonzalez said. Later, on the afternoon of September 12, 2018, part of an excavation support system and an existing wall collapsed, trapping one of the construction workers, Luis Almonte Sánchez, who was carrying out work of foundation. Sanchez, 47, was struck by one of the lift pin sections, which weighed more than 15,000 pounds, and was buried under rubble.

First responders were unable to recover Sánchez’s body until the following day due to unstable conditions at the workplace, aggravated by heavy rain.

According to the evidence, Lui and Garcia were required by law to ensure that the construction site complied with Department of Building (or DOB) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations in order to provide a safe workplace. However, González said, the site was non-compliant and did not follow design plans submitted and approved by the DOB.

In the days leading up to the tragedy, Liu was made aware of the potentially dangerous conditions, including that the rear wall was advancing and additional support was needed to stop its movement. A resident who lived along the far wall also told him that their patio and garage collapsed. However, Liu refused to install additional support and never stopped working on the site to assess and correct the conditions, Gonzalez said, adding that Liu also failed to inform DOB.

Instead, according to evidence, Liu ordered workers to continue working at the site and in the days before the collapse allowed a trucking company to continue removing dirt trucks during a severe storm, destabilizing the site further and contributing to the fatal collapse. , according to the district attorney’s office.

In addition, the district attorney’s office said WSC defrauded the New York State Insurance Fund by misrepresenting the people it employed, and also committed tax evasion by failing to file their taxes between 2015 and 2018.

González said “the verdict should send a strong message that when contractors take shortcuts and put the safety of their workers at risk, they will face serious and criminal repercussions. The death of Luis Almonte Sánchez was a preventable tragedy that would have been avoided if the construction site operator followed all safety protocols or heeded warnings about unsafe conditions.

Strauber shared similar sentiments in a statement following Thursday’s sentencing.

“A worker was needlessly crushed to death by tons of debris because the construction company operator in charge of the site chose to ignore basic safety protocols and repeated warnings about hazards on site” , said Strauber.

For his part, Vilenchik also said Almonte Sánchez’s death was “tragic and preventable”.

“This incident is a painful reminder that taking shortcuts on a construction site and ignoring safety rules can have disastrous consequences,” Vilenchik said.

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