Change To Construction Plan Blamed In Accident That Claimed Worker's Life

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Updated: January 07, 2009 6:14pm

Kelly Carroll

Southampton - An unauthorized change in site plans is now being blamed for the fatal accident that claimed the life of a Farmingville construction worker on Monday, Jan. 5 in Southampton Village.

Facundo Gonzalez, 33, was working on the construction of a private residence on the corner of Willow Street and North Sea Road in the village of Southampton when a wall reportedly fell on top of him at approximately 3 p.m., causing injuries that eventually resulted in his death.

According to the village’s Senior Building Inspector Jonathan Foster, who has been to the site since the incident investigating the situation, workers appeared to have been digging at the structure’s foundation Monday afternoon after it was discovered that cement had been poured for the construction of an exterior stairwell without the proper support beneath it. According to Foster, Gonzalez and three other workers were attempting to get at the concrete wall to install the proper support when it collapsed.

The building inspector added that the stairwell was not previously part of the approved site plan, and was not approved by the architect who created the plans. Foster estimated that the wall was 19 feet long and weighed approximately 14,000 pounds.

Emergency personnel, including the Southampton Village Police Department and Volunteer Ambulance Corps, were called to the site to tend to Gonzalez. According to a press release distributed by the police department, police officers dug beneath the heavy wall for approximately 10 minutes before they were able to extricate him. After performing CPR at the scene, the ambulance crew transported Gonzalez to Southampton Hospital where he was to be immediately transported by MEDEVAC for further treatment. The MEDEVAC transport was called off before it reached the hospital however, as Gonzalez was pronounced dead a short time thereafter.


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