A construction worker was killed during a project on the Throgs Neck Bridge when he reportedly slipped off a platform and fell into the water below.
John Massas was on his second day of work where he was painting on the bridge. Around 8 am, Massas was on a platform underneath the roadway. He reportedly was either changing or adjusting his safety harness when he fell from the platform, traveling 130 feet to the water below.
The Coast Guard and local fire department were on the scene to search for the body in the water. By midafternoon, the body had yet to be recovered by authorities. OSHA, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the police department, and the Office of Emergency Management launched an investigation surrounding the incident.
Massas was employed with Nuco Painting Corporation of Islandia, NY. The company was subcontracted by El Sol Contracting and Construction. The bridge, which connects Queens and the Bronx, is the site of a $25 million steel rehabilitation project.
This is not the first time an employee of El Sol was injured on a bridge project. In 2007, a worker on a job site on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge fell 70 feet and was fatally injured. Noco Painting has no incidents reported according to OSHA’s database.
John Massas was a married father of three. He was a resident of the Bronx and had been working in construction for the past three year. Family members said Massas enjoyed his work but his wife often expressed concern about his safety at work. Massas reportedly told her often that ‘I tie myself good’ in an effort to ease her concerns.
