Investigation underway after man found dead at East Boston construction site

BOSTON — Neighbors who live right off of Maverick Square are concerned after a man was found dead inside of a construction site on 187 Sumner St.

“That’s all I heard, that someone fell down the shaft,” said Wagner Rios, who lives behind the new building.

Boston Police are staying tight-lipped about what happened.

“Officers from A-7 responded to a radio call for a construction accident. Upon arrival located an adult male. He was pronounced [dead] on scene,” said Boston Police Superintendent Gerard Boyle.

Workers who were sitting outside told Boston 25 News it was a co-worker who fell down an elevator shaft. That news was upsetting to neighbors.

“One of the workers fell and passed away. That right there is enough to be angry...to feel frustrated,” said Sandra Niijar, who runs a soup kitchen on the other side of Sumner Street.

The building going up will be a seven-story apartment complex housing 42 units. But neighbors said they’re concerned about all the new construction in the area.

“All of these buildings coming on us every single corner. Profit over people,” Niijar said.

We reached out to the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health. The groups said that in Massachusetts construction is the second most hazardous industry for workers. And that’s another reason neighbors hope this building boom in East Boston will slow down.

“This is the most congested neighborhood in Boston. It really is,” Rios said.

“While we do not yet know the name of our late brother, our thoughts are with his family, friends and the larger East Boston worker community during this incredibly difficult time,” said MassCOSH Director of Policy and Programs Al Vega in a statement Wednesday.

“With falls being an all-too-common way in which workers are severely injured or killed, it is urgent for all employers to keep their employees who work at heights at all worksites safe by always using fall prevention systems that have proven to stem needless loss of life on the job.”

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