Excavator Falls 30 Feet, Killing Operator

An immigrant from Ecuador who was working construction in the Bronx, NY, was killed in an unusual incident involving an excavator. Carlos Reinoso, 47, who reportedly often sent money to family – including a child – in Ecuador, was using an excavator to push a huge concrete beam off the edge of the second floor of a former jail that was under demolition.

Somehow the two-ton beam got caught on the front of the excavator, dragging the machine and Reinoso to the ground. It is considered normal practice for workers to break up large concrete beams into smaller pieces before trying to remove them. Why Reinoso chose to do otherwise wasn’t immediately known.

Reinoso was described as “a good worker.” He had been employed by the same company for 12 years.