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One worker was killed and four others were hospitalized with concussions when a building collapsed on the Upper East Side during construction of an additional floor and restaurant. OSHA's inspection found that twelve inch cinderblocks were being hoisted from the ground and stacked on the fifth floor. Three employees were on the second floor working. The front 8 feet of the fifth floor then collapsed and continued down through all the floors to the basement. Up to 100 blocks fell with the collapse. NY Times reported that this was Tamco's first commercial job and that prosecutors contended that Mr. Tam and Mr. Ai knew the structure was insecure and had ignored warnings by experienced people at the site.
District Attorney Robert Morgenthau
Wall/Building Collapse
New York
New York
May 16, 2002
Unavailable
| First | Last | Age | Title | Employer | Injury Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio | Romano | 41 | Unavailable | Tamco | Fatality |
| Name | Type | Title | Plea Information | Conviction Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Tam | Individual | Owner | Pleaded not guilty | Found guilty by jury in State Supreme Court. Acquitted of second degree manslaughter and assault charges. Faced up to $1,000 in fines and one year in jail at sentencing (result unknown). |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Second Degree Manslaughter; Assault; Reckless Endangerment |
Other Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
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| Ken Ai | Individual | Foreman | Pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in exchange for minimum sentence of one to three years and a maximum of two to six years in prison | Unavailable |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Second Degree Manslaughter; Assault; Reckless Endangerment |
Other Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
|||
| Tamco Construction Corp. | Entity | Entity | Unavailable | Unavailable |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
Other Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
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