Victims ID’d in Whippany construction accident

HANOVER - Police have identified the two workers who were killed Thursday morning at a Whippany construction site.

Hanover Detective Sal Siino said the victims were Joseph Donahue, 25, of Newton, and Robert Derkacs, 45, of Vernon.

They were killed when a strap holding a 10,000-pound generator to a crane snapped, dropping the generator onto the construction workers below.

The first victim was Donahue, who worked for the Sussex-based Industrial Process & Equipment. Derkacs, who later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, worked as an electrician and foreman for the Vernon-based Boz Electric.

Their obituaries were posted over the weekend, and many people expressed their condolences through social media.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has refused to confirm the names of the victims.

UPDATE: 2 workers die in Whippany construction accident http://dailyre.co/1TsIHF4

Donahue was a 2009 graduate of High Point Regional High School, where he wrestled and played football. He received an associate’s degree from Sussex County Community College and worked as an arborist for his family’s business, McCullough Tree Experts, according to his obituary.

Donahue is survived by his high school sweetheart and loving wife, Nicole, his parents, Joseph and Sue Ellen, his two brothers, Gavin and Brennen, his sisters-in-law, Jessie Voelker and her husband, Aaron, and Hallie Armstrong, and his boys, Gauge and Taz.

His funeral was held Tuesday morning at Sussex Christian Reformed Church in Sussex Borough. In lieu of flowers, Donahue’s family requested donations be made to High Point Regional High School, which will be used to set up a scholarship in his memory.

PHOTO GALLERY: Fatal construction accident at site of future Whippany Fire Dept http://dailyre.co/1XAe5kj 

Derkacs was born in Paterson, raised in Hawthorne, and lived in Vernon for the past 15 years, according to his obituary. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local #102.

Derkacs is survived by his mother, Diane Derkacs, his sister, Renee Healy, and her husband, Tommy.

His funeral was held Monday morning at St. Anthony Roman Catholic Church in Hawthorne. In lieu of flowers, his family asked memorial donations be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Both Donahue and Derkacs were lifetime members of the National Rifle Association, according to their obituaries.

In addition to Boz Eclectic and Industrial Process and Equipment, Bridgewater-based Precision Building was the general contractor on site at the time the generator fell, while West Caldwell-based City Erectors provided the crane and crane operator for the job, Uddyback-Fortson said.

All four had previous OSHA fines and declined or did not respond to request for comment.

SEE ALSO: Companies working on site of Whippany fatal had previous violations http://dailyre.co/1TvkMVq

The Whippany Fire Co. announced on March 20, 2014 that it had purchased the property and intended to build a new firehouse at the site. Work officially began on Feb. 1, 2015.

The firehouse design calls for approximately 21,200 square feet of habitable area, with space for trucks and storage plus a meeting/classroom area, 8-inch thick concrete slabs with floor drains and grease interceptor, a workshop and a locker room facility. The Fire Department was established in 1915 and its current firehouse was completed in 1923.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com