Chaos ensued after a crane collapsed into the water in the Florida Keys on Tuesday, killing a construction worker.
Crane operator Eduardo Reyes Ponce, 29, lost his life while helping to construct a dock at a Key Largo property. He died after the crane he was operating tipped over on its barge, dumping Ponce into the water, Local 10 News reported.
BREAKING NEWS: A worker died after a crane fell from a barge at a Key Largo construction site, sending him plunging into the water, Monroe County authorities say. https://t.co/I8F8cya0cJ
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) March 21, 2023
Officers from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident, and a diving unit recovered Ponce’s body, County Sheriff Rick Ramsay told the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Engine Problems’: Commercial Plane En Route To New York Goes Ablaze Mid-Flight)
DEVELOPING: fatal construction accident in #KeyLargo after crane on barge went into water with worker on it. @mcsonews divers on scene to recover the body. Sad day in the Keys @WPLGLocal10 #FloridaKeys pic.twitter.com/0j3tKSxmKy
— Janine Stanwood (@JanineStanwood) March 21, 2023
Key Largo firefighters and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also came to the scene of the accident, the outlet noted. (RELATED: 8 Dolphins Died In One Day Off NJ Coast, Adding To List Of Marine Life Tragedies Potentially Linked To Offshore Wind Project)
The sheriff’s office is said to be conducting a probe into the accident. But local police aren’t the only ones looking into the fatal toppling tragedy.
The sheriff’s office is reportedly conducting a probe into the accident, with Ramsay noting that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to “conduct its own investigation,” per the outlet.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by Ponce’s sister, the construction worker “had an amazing heart and was a hard worker.”
“For years he grew his hair and donated it to cancer patients and that alone tells you the type of human being and heart that he had.”
