Falling Equipment Kills Construction Worker

A construction worker was killed Friday morning in a construction accident at a work site at an office building in the Financial District of Boston.

The victim, 31, was doing excavation work on the foundation of a Boston Properties building at Russia Wharf, at the corner of Congress and Atlantic Avenue when he was killed, according to Boston police and fire.

Boston Fire spokesman Steve MacDonald said firefighters were called to the site at 270 Congress St. at 10:08 a.m. in response to a report that a worker was struck by some type of equipment. The first responders attempted to resuscitate the man on the scene, but were unsuccessful. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Jennifer Mehigan, spokeswoman for Boston EMS. No further information on the extent of cause of the injuries was given.

A piece of brick about 2-feet in size fell upon him while he was working, said George Hansen, a mason on the same project. “It was a good-sized chunk that came down on him and it crushed him,” said Hansen, who did not witness the accident, but had spoken to another worker who did see it first-hand.

Boston Properties released the following statement in response to the death: “It is with great sadness that we have confirmed that one fatality has occurred as a result of an accident at our construction site at 530 Atlantic Ave. … Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family at this time. The accident is still currently under investigation.”