Worker dies in Brooklyn building collapse

From NY1:

A construction worker died and four others were hospitalized after a building under construction collapsed in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn on Tuesday afternoon.

The five-story residential building located at 2929 Brighton Fifth Street was under construction when it collapsed just before 2:30 p.m.

The worker who died was at Coney Island Hospital.

Five other workers are now in Lutheran Hospital, including two in serious condition, two in stable condition and one who had refused medical attention at the scene.

Officials say workers were pouring concrete onto some metal sheeting called "Q-decking," when the third floor caved onto the second.

From the NY Times:

Robert LiMandri, commissioner of the Buildings Department, said workers were following an improper practice to pour the concrete — starting from the top floors and going down, instead of starting at the bottom, which is considered safer. “They were pouring concrete in the wrong sequence, and we believe that that is a major contributor to this collapse today,” he said at a briefing on Tuesday night.

Mr. LiMandri said that a neighbor called to complain on Saturday about after-hours work and that the department did not immediately follow up on the complaint. He said that what happened on Saturday and on Tuesday were “not connected,” and that investigators would sort through the accident site piece by piece to determine the cause.

Photo from Metro