Posted on Thursday, August 13th, 2015 at 5:13 pm
Two Manhattan construction site managers have recently been charged with manslaughter after a pit collapse left one man dead April 6. The prosecutors alleged that the construction site conditions were dangerous and that the managers had prior knowledge of the risk of a pit collapse. Regulations require that excavation areas deeper than five feet be reinforced to prevent a collapse from occurring. The pit that 22-year-old Carlos Moncayo perished in was 14 feet in depth and was not shored up to protect workers from the excavation caving in.
Wilmer Cueva and Alfonso Prestia, construction managers on the site, were working the site that day. Both managers ignored the advice of a private investigator the morning of the accident who was informing the construction companies of the pit violation.
Cueva and Prestia were charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and reckless endangerment. The victim’s death was declared “foreseeable and avoidable” by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
The frequency of construction injuries and deaths are increasing in New York. Due to this, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. announced an initiation to help identify and seek justice against corrupt and fraudulent construction businesses.
If you or someone you know was injured in a construction accident due to the negligent or unsafe practices of a construction company, contact the New York City construction accident attorneys at Hach & Rose, LLP. Our aggressive and experienced team can answer your questions if you call (212) 779-0057 today.