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Falling Beam Pins Worker at Williamsburg Construction Site

By Mary Johnson | October 3, 2012 4:17pm | Updated on October 3, 2012 7:46pm

WILLIAMSBURG — An accident at a construction site in Williamsburg left a worker pinned under a fallen beam Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

A fire department spokesman said the incident occurred at 17 Devoe St. around 2:30 p.m., when a beam fell on the worker, pinning his hand.

The worker was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in serious but stable condition, he said.

Ryan FitzGibbon, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Buildings, said there were no prior violations or complaints at the site, where a two-story commercial building is being converted into a four-story apartment building.

FitzGibbon said the accident on Wednesday occurred after a worker cut through one of two horizontal support beams for the building. That cut created a ripple effect, causing the sliced beam to collapse, along with a vertical support column and the structure's other horizontal support beam. 

"That's now compromised the structural stability of those two side walls," FitzGibbon said.

The DOB has since halted work on the site and ordered the general contractor, SYG Realties LLC, to reinforce the structure's exterior walls.

The agency has also vacated the rear yards of surrounding buildings, at 11 and 21 Devoe St., as a safety precaution until the building's stability is secured.

FitzGibbon said the DOB was also in the process of issuing violations to SYG Realties.