Delaware State Police are conducting an investigation into a fatal industrial accident that claimed the life of a demolition supervisor.
The accident occurred at 4:09 p.m., Friday at the former GM plant at 801 Boxwood Rd., west of Wilmington.
The initial investigation has determined that Atlantic Coast Dismantling (ACD), a Boston based company, was contracted to perform demolition work at the site.
Plans call for logistics-distribution buildings at the site near Newport. The plant closed in 2009.
The demolition work involved the use of heavy machinery and cables in bringing down steel beams.
The head foreman for ACD, 64-year-old Paul Leary of Miami FL, was overseeing the work when a cable snapped, striking him in the upper torso and head. Leary was pronounced dead at the scene.
Representatives from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) were called to the scene and will be working with Delaware State Police detectives in the investigation.
Havey, Hanna & Associates, Newport, the owner of the Boxwood site, issued the following statement:
“We were deeply saddened to learn that a demolition construction worker at the Boxwood Road site tragically lost his life on Friday. We are heartbroken. We offer our sincere heartfelt condolences to the family, and all those affected.”
