A freak accident occurred this morning in Jersey City at a residential tower on 70-90 Columbus Drive. Gary Anderson who was not wearing his hard hat, was struck in the head by a tape measurer when it fell 50 stories from above.
AJD Construction worker was prepping a wall for windows on the 50th floor, when he reached for his measuring tape. It unfastened and slipped form his hand, falling 500 ft at 140 mph according to Professor Robert Alfano of City College. The tape hit a piece of metal construction before bouncing off and struck Anderson who was speaking to someone in a car when he was struck.
Anderson worked as a private contractor in New York. He was at the construction site delivering drywall for the project. He went into cardiac arrest after being taken to Jersey City Medical Center where he was being treated. He was pronounced dead at 9:52.
“He was a very good worker,” an employee of New York-based trucking company George Hildebrandt told the New York Post. “He’s been with us for a long time.”
Anderson was not wearing a hard hat at the time which is protocol though according to reports he had one in his car. Construction of the site was delayed several hours and resumed Tuesday afternoon.
Photo via Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal
