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Worker dies after falling 24 stories at Riu Hotel site in Midtown

Department of Buildings previously shut down construction, citing unsafe work conditions

Rendering of a new hotel at 301 West 46th Street in Midtown
Rendering of a new hotel at 301 West 46th Street in Midtown

A 25-year-old construction worker died Tuesday after falling 24 stories down an elevator shaft at the site of a new luxury hotel in Midtown.

The accident occurred at what will be the Riu Hotel Times Square at 301 West 46th Street, according to the New York Daily News. The unidentified man was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he died at 1:26 p.m., the newspaper reported.

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The Mallorca-based Riu Hotels & Resorts owns the site, where it’s developing a 29-story building. The Department of Buildings previously shut down the site, after inspectors found unsafe working conditions such as floor openings without rails in July 2013. More violations were found at the site in May and September last year.

Last month, a 22-year-old construction worker died after an accident at the former home of French bistro Pastis in the Meatpacking District. Later on in the month, four people were injured during a construction accident at SL Green’s 331 Madison Avenue, the site where the company’s massive One Vanderbilt is scheduled to rise.

Earlier this year, a 50-year-old construction worker fell to his death at a Brighton Beach development site. Other recent accidents include the death of a passerby at Rudin Management’s Greenwich Lane in March and the death of a construction worker at Greenland Forest City Partners’ Barclays Center in February. [NYDN] — Claire Moses

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