Sad thing happened. No details at all.
This is journalism.
I feel so sorry for the family. The construction industry is dangerous -- fortunately a lot less dangerous than decades ago.
| Project | Years | Deaths | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire State Building | 1929–1931 | 5 | 5 of 3,400 workers died from slips, falls, or being struck by materials. Official count is 5, though some claim up to 14. |
| Chrysler Building | 1928–1930 | 0 | No deaths among 3,000 workers, due to guard rails and safety screens, despite rapid construction. |
| Sears Tower (Willis Tower) | 1970–1973 | 5 | 5 deaths in two incidents among a workforce similar to Empire State Building. |
| Golden Gate Bridge | 1933–1937 | 11 | 11 deaths, with a safety net saving 19 others. 10 died in a single scaffold collapse. |
| San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge | 1933–1936 | 28 | 28 deaths, higher due to underwater work. Spurred safety net adoption. Sources vary (24–28). |
| Hoover Dam | 1931–1936 | 96 | 96 industrial fatalities (drowning, blasting, falls, equipment accidents) among ~5,000 workers. |
| Grand Coulee Dam | 1933–1942 | 77 | 77 deaths from falls, equipment accidents, and flooding. Some sources cite up to 82. |
| Panama Canal | 1904–1914 | 27,500 | Estimated 27,500 deaths, mostly from disease (malaria, yellow fever) and accidents, among tens of thousands of workers. |
| World Trade Center (Original) | 1968–1973 | 60 | 60 deaths, including 6 from an explosion, among a workforce similar to Empire State Building. |
| Brooklyn Bridge | 1869–1883 | 30 | 30 deaths, with a death rate of 50 per 1,000 workers, high for its size due to caisson disease and falls. |
| Willow Island Disaster | 1978 | 51 | 51 workers died when a cooling tower scaffold collapsed, the deadliest single U.S. construction accident. |
| Suez Canal | 1859–1869 (modern) | ~120,000 | Estimates vary widely; thousands died from disease, accidents, and harsh conditions. No reliable records. |