A construction worker died from a blow to the head by a falling piece of equipment while underground near 31st Street and 34th Avenue in Astoria. Photo via Google Maps
Oct. 11, 2024 By Bill Parry
A married father of two from New Jersey was killed in Astoria when he suffered a blow to his head while working on a water sewage system more than a hundred feet underground.
Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria responded to a 911 call just after 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, regarding the injured man at a site near the intersection of 31st Street and 34th Avenue.
A private company employee was working on a water sewage system at the location when a piece of equipment fell and struck him, police said on Tuesday.
EMS responded to the location and pronounced him dead at the scene. He was later identified as 54-year-old Paulo Cuoto of Howell, NJ.
According to a law enforcement source, the falling piece of equipment was a mechanical winch like this. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said the piece of equipment was a winch, a machine that lifts heavy objects by rope or chains. It has not yet been determined what caused the machinery to fall down the shaft, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
