Construction worker in Chelsea fatally struck by falling object, NYPD says

A construction worker died after bracket fell from a scaffolding onto his head at 61 Ninth Ave. in Manhattan on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017, police said. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert

A construction worker died after he was struck in the head by an anchoring bracket that fell from the building’s roof in Chelsea Monday morning, according to the Department of Buildings.

Krawczyk Przemyskaw, 34, was found unconscious at about 8:40 a.m. at 61 Ninth Ave., on the corner of West 15th Street and Ninth Avenue, cops said.

An anchoring bracket that had been supporting a suspended scaffolding above roof level came loose, DOB officials said. The bracket fell, striking Przemyskaw in the head as he stood on a sidewalk extension, according to the agency.

He was pronounced dead at Lenox Hill Hospital, an NYPD spokesman said.

“This tragedy appears to have been completely preventable and we are taking enforcement actions against all parties involved, including a full stop-work order at the site,” DOB said in an emailed statement. “We are working closely with law enforcement on the incident. Additional penalties are pending the conclusion of this incident.”

There were six buildings department violations issued at the address between October 2016 and December 2017, per the DOB website. Of those, three are still active violations, including two that were issued on Dec. 13 for failure to certify that previous violations had been corrected.

A spokeswoman for the general contractor at the site, TG Nickel and Associates, said the company was “aware of the incident.”

“We are taking care of it. Safety is our first priority,” the spokeswoman added.

The 10-story building is owned by the Vornado Realty Trust, according to the company’s website, and will be rented out as office space when construction is complete.

Nancy Acevedo, 24, of Inwood, works at Seed+Mill in nearby Chelsea Market and said the fire department and an ambulance were outside when she arrived.

“They were standing on top of the temporary roof and they were looking down. It was a little scary,” she said. “Some of the construction workers were here having breakfast. Everybody was in disbelief because it happened so fast.”

The medical examiner will determine the cause of Przemyskaw’s death and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

The scaffolding contractor for the development, Lexington Maintenance LLC, could not be immediately reached for comment.

With Lauren Cook