Worker killed in West Palm construction accident identified by police

The construction worker who was killed Thursday after falling from a West Palm Beach apartment project was just identified as 27-year-old Carlos Lopez Sanchez.

Sanchez fell from the 15th floor of the Alexander, an under-construction, 16-story apartment project from developers Ram Realty and Kolter Group that’s expected to open next year. According to the Palm Beach Post, city police and fire rescue arrived at the site early Thursday afternoon and found Sanchez dead on the ground.

Bits of plywood and metal framework were also found scattered around the scene, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Ram deferred all questions to its general contractor, Kast Construction, whose CEO Michael Neal released this statement: “Yesterday’s accident was an unfortunate tragedy and our thoughts are with Mr. Lopez’s family. OSHA has conducted their initial investigation and concluded the site is safe for workers. We will continue to cooperate with OSHA’s requests as they will remain on site through next week. We will keep the media informed of any important updates.”

Construction workers were already back at the job site Friday morning, and a West Palm Beach police spokesperson said no foul play was suspected. However, WPTV reported that an attorney representing Sanchez’s family said they feel there could have been a malfunction in his safety equipment.

The incident follows the collapse of a facade from the Alexander Lofts, another apartment building across the street that Ram also owns. [Palm Beach Post / WPTV] Sean Stewart-Muniz