2 workers die in Whippany construction accident
HANOVER - Two workers were killed Thursday morning when a strap holding a 10,000-pound generator to a crane snapped, dropping the generator onto the construction workers below.
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Lenore Uddyback-Fortson, a spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, initially reported Thursday afternoon that there was one fatality and one injury as a result of the incident. The injured person was taken to the hospital, according to Uddyback-Fortson.
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The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the death of the injured worker in a statement released at 6:44 p.m. Thursday evening.
Hanover Mayor Ronald Francioli told the Daily Record that he got a call about the accident around 11 a.m. and rushed there. Francioli said a crane was lowering the massive generator to an outdoor concrete pad when a strap broke, sending the equipment crashing to the ground at the site on Troy Hills Road where a new Whippany fire station is being built.
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Francioli said the body of one worker was trapped by the generator while a second worker had been brought to Morristown Medical Center. He said the process of removing the generator was slow because of its instability.
“My heart’s coming out of my chest thinking of this,” the mayor said. He did not know the construction companies involved but said the work was being done on the site of the future home of the Whippany Fire Co. The site is on Troy Hills Road just off of Route 10 near a CVS and Molly Malones restaurant.
A command post was set up at Molly Malones on Route 10 immediately after the accident and firefighters could be seen digging with shovels around the generator. A front end loader was later brought in to help at the scene.
Hanover fire and police officials said all information about the incident would be released by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
Among the agencies at the scene were the Morris Minutemen, Atlantic Ambulance, Cedar Knolls Fire Department, Madison Fire Department, Hanover police and firefighters and the Morris County Sheriff’s Department.
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.
A man who lives next door to the site said that he heard a loud crash and saw several people running to the generator.
Among those at the scene were the Morris Minutemen, Atlantic Ambulance, Cedar Knolls Fire Department, Madison Fire Department, Hanover police and firefighters and the Morris County Sheriff’s Department.
Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com