Construction worker at mixed-use Palm Beach project dies after fall

A construction worker died after falling at the site of a mixed-use project in Palm Beach on Wednesday morning.

Hector Patiño-Luja died while working on the former Testa’s Restaurant site, which the Frisbie Group is redeveloping. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Coastal Construction is the general contractor for the project at 221 and 231 Royal Poinciana Way, which broke ground in 2017.

Patiño-Luja, a drywall installer hired by subcontractor D & D Quality Constructors, was descending from a scaffold when he slipped and fell, according to Coastal. Paramedics were called immediately and he was rushed to the emergency room at St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he died several hours later.

“We are working closely with OSHA and the authorities as they conduct their investigation,” Coastal’s co-president Sean Murphy said in a statement. “The entire Coastal & D & D Constructors’ families are devastated by this loss and our hearts and prayers are with the Patino family during this very difficult time.”

Royal Poinciana Palm Beach is part of a revitalization of downtown Palm Beach. Construction is expected to finish by the end of the year or early next year, according to the Palm Beach Post.

In separate transactions this year, Frisbie sold two condos at the development for $20 million and sold the ground floor of the project to The Breakers, a luxury resort in Palm Beach, for $20 million.

The site was previously occupied by the popular Testa’s Restaurant, shops and a gas station before the Frisbie Group bought it in 2013 for $8.9 million.