Look at this kid! Fernando Vanegas, 19 years old. Same age as my son Sebastian, who just went off to college. Full of life, of hopes, of dreams, just like Sebastian. Fernando came to Queens, New York from Ecuador only a year ago to reunite with his parents whom he had not seen in 15 years. As an immigrant with almost no English, the best job he could land was in the construction industry. Dangerous work. He would come home at night and tell his parents how frightening his work was; close calls involving retaining walls almost falling on him. Then, last Thursday, he did not come home. A retaining wall collapsed, burying him and two other workers in a heap of cinder blocks. He died.
He should not have died. The warning signs were all there. The site should have been shut down. Several safety violations had recently been reported, including that the retaining wall was not stable. The City failed to shut down the work.
Fernando was a canary in a coal mine. Now of course the site is shut down. Now of course, at least for a while, the City will err on the side of caution, and shut down similar sites. Shame on his employer, and shame on the City of New York inspectors, for allowing him to die under such conditions, without heeding such obvious warning signs of danger.