19-Year-Old NYC Worker Tragically Dies in Cherry Picking Incident

A mobile hydraulic lift struck and killed a 19-year-old construction worker on Friday morning, according to the police.

Police say the victim was leading his cherry picker operator father through a crossing in New York City’s East Village just after 8:30 a.m.

Police say the son was trying to help his dad get on a flatbed truck through a busy crossing at First Avenue and East Seventh Street.

Construction worker, 19, killed by father in tragic construction mishap https://t.co/APHIoQkWks pic.twitter.com/46cTbs9uz5

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) November 17, 2023

Eyewitnesses say that the victim was then hit by the lift that his father was driving.cPolice say that the construction worker was declared dead at the scene.

“The father was a few steps away… holding his head, probably being in shock, not really believing what happened. It was horrible,” eyewitness Gosia Kaminska said. “The people that were trying to save (his son) they covered him up with something. There was no way that you could help him.”

Many people who saw what happened think the son was trying to stop traffic at the busy crossing instead of guiding the cherry picker. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that 22 building workers died in New York City in 2021.

Police say the 42-year-old father is being questioned. There are no charges yet. There were no other injuries recorded. The accident is still being looked into.