Two construction workers died Tuesday morning when a concrete wall collapsed on them at the Riverwalk Plaza construction project in Boynton Beach, Florida, north of Fort Lauderdale.
At roughly 10:14 a.m., Boynton Beach police and rescue crews responded to a call about the incident and located the bodies of Jeremias Mendez, 32, and Eduardo Cruz-Moran, 25, both of West Palm Beach, Florida, beneath the debris, according to a Boynton Beach Police Department release shared with Construction Dive. Both the Boynton Beach Police Department and OSHA are investigating.
Workers were building waterfront apartments at Riverwalk Plaza when the wall collapsed. Isram Realty Group, the operator of Riverwalk Plaza, did not respond to Construction Dive’s request for comment. Construction Dive could not confirm the builder on the project.
Officer Vinny Melo, acting public information officer for BBPD, told Construction Dive that workers were removing metal forms installed to build a concrete wall to move to another jobsite. When removed, the concrete within the forms crumbled and crushed the workers. No other workers were injured.
OSHA has initiated an inspection, but offered no additional comment. The agency has six months to complete its investigation before it publicly discloses any findings.