Construction Worker Fatally Crushed by Wall

A man working at a construction site was fatally crushed by a concrete wall in Staten Island.

Robert L. McGee, 59, of Bohemia, Long Island, was working as foreman for the subcontractor handling carpentry work on the 1214-1222 Bay St.site in Rosebank, when he was crushed by a concrete wall that was apparently pushed over from gusty winds.

Michael Fazio, who owns Woodrow Estates, the general contractor on the project, transferred all questions to his attorney and spokesman, Allen Capelli.

Capelli commented that the wall was built according to the approved plan and was also constructed by a different subcontractor, Well Built Development Corp., and was engineered by Calvanico and Associates. “No one ever came to the developer and suggested that there was anything wrong with this wall at any time.”

The incident is under investigation. Fazio, who considers the incident to be “a tragic accident” said, “I want to express my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of Bobby McGee.”

“It’s clearly visible that they violated several building codes and [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] regulations,” said Anthony Rugolo, organizer for the New York District Council of Carpenters Local 157 union that McGee was apart of. “The occurrence happens more on non-union jobs than union jobs because the workers there are unskilled and untrained and 90 percent of the time are day laborers.”